Medical Miracle
by The Rose Society
Summary: Alternate Reality: No senshi. Mamoru returns to Japan and finds a completely different Usagi. What happened to her?
1. A Disturbing Beginning

*Disclaimer: No, don't own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. If I did, I   
wouldn't be torturing myself with chemistry right now, would I?  
  
Medical Miracle  
Prologue: A Disturbing Beginning  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
Chiba Mamoru nervously touched his tie again. 'Oh %*@!...I hope   
I look alright. Of all days to be stuck in traffic...' Quickly running   
a hand through his dark ebony hair, he ducked his 6'2" frame as a   
nursing assistant flew by him carrying an IV bag. He rounded another   
corner of the hospital as he expertly weaved his way through the crowded   
hallway. 'Room 812, Dr. Hongo...I hope my supervising doctor is not early.   
He'll kill me if I'm late.'  
  
Just as his internal chronometer chimed "You're TOAST!", Mamoru   
slid into room 812. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gently closed the   
door behind him. 'Thank kami-sama that I beat-'  
  
"You're LATE."  
  
Startled, Mamoru turned around, deep blue eyes blinking in shock.  
The leather chair, which was facing the window behind the wooden desk   
and not the door when Mamoru entered the office, swung around. A slender   
woman, around the late 30's, with short brown hair and a pair of wire rim   
glasses, scowled at him. "I'm sorry, it seems as if I'm in the wrong   
office. I was looking for a Dr. Hongo..."  
  
"You're in the right place, young man. However, you were," the tall   
brunette glanced at her watch, "2 minutes and 33 seconds tardy. In the   
future, if you wish to continue working here at Tokyo Hospital, you will  
be on time. I have more important things to do than to wait around for an   
irresponsible young man."  
  
Surprised, Mamoru bowed his head in guilt. "Gomen nasai Hongo-san.  
It'll never happen again."  
  
"Take care that it doesn't young man." Dr. Hongo replied curtly.   
"Seeing as how we're already behind schedule, you'll have to explore the  
hospital for yourself. I'll just point out some of the key places that   
you'll need to know about, such as the operating room and the labs.   
First, I'll introduce myself. My name is Ayanami Hongo. I am the head   
doctor in charge of Tokyo Hospital's oncology ward. You are Chiba Mamoru,  
age 26. You went to Harvard Medical School for your doctorate and have  
just recently finished two years of your internship. However, you returned  
to Japan, your birthplace, in order to complete your internship and possibly  
obtain a residency position in MY oncology department. Tell me, Chiba, what  
makes you think that you can cut it here?"  
  
(A.N. ^_^! Ok...I'm not Japanese and I have no idea if these names that   
I'm making up exist or what they mean.)   
  
Surprised by the abrupt question, Mamoru paused before answering.   
"I think that I can cut it here...iie, I know I can cut it here because I  
have the desire to become a good doctor."  
  
"Iie, Chiba. That's the wrong answer." Dr. Hongo replied quietly.   
"Desire to win isn't everything. You have much to prove to me young man  
before I deem you worthy of the title of doctor. Follow me, Chiba. I'll  
show you to your office. I have completed my assessment of you." With  
that, Dr. Hongo rose out of her seat to her full height, a full inch taller  
than Mamoru.  
  
Angered at being written off so quickly, especially considering his   
brilliant record thus far, Mamoru only nodded and stiffly opened the door to   
allow Dr. Hongo pass. "By the way, Chiba. Don't think that I'm writing  
you off. Granted, you have had an excellent schooling, demo knowledge  
isn't the only thing that makes a good doctor. Think of my speech as a   
challenge for you to find your true reason for wanting to become a doctor."  
Putting on her lab coat, Dr. Hongo led Mamoru out of her office and toward  
his new, temporary office.  
  
*Nine Hours Later*  
  
Tiredly, Mamoru rubbed his temples. Dr. Hongo had taken him around   
the entire hospital, teaching him everything she deemed necessary for him to  
know. He had seen all the essential rooms and offices that he would most   
likely need to visit. For nine hours, Mamoru had listened to Dr. Hongo prattle  
on and on about various policies and her own requirements for an intern.  
Ok, Mamoru would normally have found Dr. Hongo's speech interesting or at  
least necessary to his success as a new intern, but he found his   
concentration shattered. Dr. Hongo's enigmatic words earlier had rattled him.  
Never had anyone doubted his ability to become a successful doctor. He  
excelled in his studies and had performed extremely well in all his pursuits.  
Dr. Hongo was Mamoru's first challenger. She questioned his capabilities   
without so much as giving him a chance to prove himself. And what did she   
mean by saying his desire to succeed and his medical knowledge were not   
the most important qualities to making a good doctor? If they weren't,   
then what is the key to being a good doctor? Dr. Hongo was truly a  
puzzle. And intimidating, thought Mamoru, wryly. She was taller than Mamoru  
with a look that could freeze Hell itself.  
  
Now, finally after nine hours of exhausting orientation, Mamoru was  
finally able to return to his office for some peace and quiet. As he moved  
into his new office, his thoughts roamed over the events of the day. Tokyo  
Hospital was not going to be easy. Not only was it known for it's high   
level of medical technology, it was also known for it's highly qualified  
medical staff. Unfortunately, in addition to professional challenges, he  
had to face societal challenges. Already, Mamoru had seen quite a few   
young female staff members fawn over his silky black hair and stormy eyes.  
To most men, this would be a great situation. But to Mamoru, this was just  
a nuisance. Ever since the car accident that took his parents' life, the  
loss of his childhood memories and his difficult stay at the orphanage, Mamoru   
detested situations that forced him to socialize, especially with the   
opposite gender. Mamoru knew that if he ever let someone near enough to his  
heart, they would only end up leaving him, broken and lost.  
  
Regardless of the silly, love-sick girls and the chilling reception of  
Dr. Hongo, Mamoru knew that he would try his best to prove himself to be a   
capable and adept doctor. Lifting his tired body to switch from his lab coat  
to his green sports jacket, Mamoru turned off the lights in his tiny office  
and headed back to his lonely apartment for a good night's rest. Tomorrow,   
Dr. Hongo would be introducing him to his new patients.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
I hope this was an Ok start to a new series. Questions, comments and  
constructive criticism is welcomed.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	2. YOU?!?!?!

*Disclaimer: Only when Takeuchi Naoko deems me worthy to  
own her wonderful series, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon,  
will you see these disclaimers disappear.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 1: YOU?!?!?!  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
The next morning, Mamoru awoke an hour earlier  
than usual. Showering and dressing rapidly, Mamoru hastily  
ate some toast and drank his coffee. Carefully placing the  
dirty dishes into the sink, Mamoru turned on his TV in  
order to listen to the morning news. Making sure that the  
volume was set so that he could do his morning chores and  
still hear the TV, Mamoru began to wash the dishes and make  
his spotless apartment even more spotless. Suddenly,  
something the morning anchorwoman said caught his attention.  
  
"The young girl was the only survivor of the deadly  
crash that killed her parents. Police are trying to find  
any living relations of the young girl. Meanwhile, the  
child has been sent to the pediatric emergency ward of  
Tokyo Hospital. Now, in international news--"  
  
Mamoru quickly shut off his TV. His breathing  
labored, Mamoru quickly shut his eyes in a desperate attempt  
to stop the storm of emotions and memories from coming.  
  
'Otou-san...Okaa-san...where am I?' A small boy, all  
alone, sitting on a hospital bed. His dark hair was covered  
by a bandage. Despite his recovering physical health, his  
emotional well-being was slowly regressing.  
  
Pain. Loneliness. Sorrow. The absence of love.  
  
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Mamoru said to  
himself, "You aren't that little boy anymore. You have a  
promising medical career ahead of you. People will respect  
you."  
  
'But will they love you?'  
  
Mamoru mentally snapped at himself. "Who cares for  
love? I don't need it!"  
  
'Silly boy. Of course you do. You had it once. Even  
though you can't remember your parents doesn't mean that  
they never loved you.'  
  
"Then why did they die? Love only causes pain.  
Without love, I can be without pain."  
  
'Without love, there is only pain.'  
  
Scowling at his wayward thoughts, Mamoru grabbed  
his jacket and his car keys and began the drive to Tokyo  
Hospital.  
  
*Tokyo Hospital*  
  
Punching in his time card ruthlessly, Mamoru  
steeled himself. "I have to control myself. I guess the  
story of that young girl hit a little too close to home.  
Nevertheless, I'm perfectly happy living on my own."  
  
'All alone? Forever? You don't want someone waiting  
for you when you get home from a hard day at the hospital  
with open arms and a smile?'  
  
Growling, Mamoru snatched up his briefcase and  
stormed towards his office. Not even noticing the fearful  
reactions of the young women who had fawned over him just  
yesterday, Mamoru entered his office and began to read the  
patient files that Dr. Hongo had given him yesterday. He  
needed to familiarize himself with all aspects of each  
patient in order to impress Dr. Hongo. Besides, the medical  
information would help soothe his emotional turmoil and allow  
him to forget about the pain of not remembering his own  
childhood or ever being loved.  
  
At exactly 07:55, Mamoru confidently strode into  
Dr. Hongo's office, thinking that he could sit and wait until  
Dr. Hongo arrived. He thought to himself, "That would most  
certainly prove to her that I am qualified to be a doctor.  
Not only that, I would get a chance to wipe that smug grin  
off of the face of that pompous bit--"  
  
"You should have knocked." Mamoru froze at the sound  
of Dr. Hongo's icy voice. "Young man, if you were planning on  
proving your punctuality to me that's all and well. But I  
expect you to be more respectful and not enter my office  
without knocking first."  
  
Shutting his gaping mouth, Mamoru answered, "Gomen  
nasai, Hongo-san. Demo, I didn't think that you would be in  
at such an early hour."  
  
"Chiba, that's no excuse. If you must know, I always  
come in 05:00 every morning in order to start my day.  
Now I assume that you have briefed yourself on the patient  
files I gave you."  
  
"Hai, Hongo-san," replied Mamoru nervously. It  
didn't seem, at least to him, that he could ever do something  
correctly in the eyes of Dr. Hongo. She never smiled in his  
presence nor did her icy manner ever thaw. 'How in the world  
did this woman ever get to be the head of the oncology  
department is beyond my understanding.' he thought snidely.  
  
"Good. Today, we'll be doing the normal rounds. Some  
of my patients will be going in for their rounds of chemotherapy  
so I expect you to follow my example. They don't need anything  
to upset them." With that comment, Dr. Hongo stood up and  
headed out of her office.  
  
'Upset them? What does she think I'll do, make them  
cry?' thought Mamoru bitterly. 'If my supervising doctor  
doesn't like me, I'll never obtain a residency at Tokyo H. My  
whole entire future is in this woman's hands and it seems to  
me she'd like more than anything to squish my future like a  
bug.'  
  
"Ah, I forgot to mention something," Dr. Hongo's face  
barely held the traces of a smile. "Our special volunteer  
usually comes in today and so the patients might ask for her.  
The children especially need her to comfort them when their  
parents can't be here. You can usually just ask one of the  
nurses to send her in if you can't find her. She knows the  
rules so you needn't bother her."  
  
"Hai," replied Mamoru. The two doctors reached their  
first patient and began their work.  
  
*Seven Hours Later*  
  
"WWWAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
  
BIG gulp of air.  
  
"WWAAAAAHHHHH!!! You can't make me. I don't want you  
anywhere near me! Stay away! WWWAAAAHHH!!!" a little girl  
screamed in her hospital bed as Mamoru tried desperately to  
get her to calm down.  
  
"Look miss. I'm just trying to take you to the chemo  
room. It's only going to hurt for a second." The young girl's  
eyes widened in fear. 'Oops. Wrong tactic,' Mamoru thought.  
"You need this medicine to make you feel better."  
  
Sniffling, the young girl looked at Mamoru with  
accusing eyes. "It makes me throw up. I lost my hair. I got  
ugly. You call that feeling better?"  
  
At a loss, Mamoru could only pray that someone would  
come shut this troublesome child up and let him do his work.  
  
"WWWAAAAAHHHH!!"  
  
He also prayed that Dr. Hongo wouldn't get wind of  
this and find another reason to get mad at him.  
  
"I want Usagi!"  
  
'Usagi? A stuffed usagi? Maybe that'll shut her up'  
Mamoru began to look around frantically to find the little  
girl's stuffed usagi. 'The sooner I find that baka usagi, the  
quicker she shuts up.' Mamoru quickly stepped out of the  
hospital room in order to ask the nurses if they had seen the  
young girl's stuffed usagi.  
  
"What's wrong, Nanami-chan?" a young woman's voice  
was heard asking.  
  
"Usagi-onee-chan." Nanami flew off her hospital bed  
and ran to the young blond hospital volunteer that had just  
entered the room. "That scary doctor wants to take me back  
into that place again. I don't want to go there again,  
Usagi-onee-chan. It hurts too much." Nanami buried her head  
into Usagi's chest, crying her eyes out.  
  
Shaking his head in despair when the nurses said that  
Nanami didn't own a stuffed usagi that she was attached to,  
Mamoru headed back to the torture chamber. But instead of  
finding a crying child, he walked in on a heart-warming  
scene. There, on Nanami's bed, Tsukino Usagi was seen slowly  
rocking the child.  
  
"Don't worry, Nanami-chan. I know it will hurt. But I  
told you last time this is the only way that you can get better.  
The scary doctor is probably new, Dr. Hongo warned me about him."  
Mamoru scowled, but Usagi, obliviously to his presence, continued  
comforting the girl. "How about I hold your hand while you have  
your therapy? And afterwards, if your parents say it's ok, I'll  
go ahead and bring you my Sailor V manga."  
  
Her sobs subsided, Nanami raised her head from Usagi's  
soggy uniform. "H...HH...Hai, Usagi-onee-chan." Smiling, Usagi  
patted Nanami's head. "Now, where can I find this baka doctor  
of yours?" she asked.  
  
"Right behind you." Mamoru replied, wryly.  
  
"YOU?!?!?!" Usagi squealed.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Thanks for the kind responses. I hope you all enjoy the  
next chapter. I'll be off for spring break so hopefully I'll be  
able to get online and send the next chapter on time.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	3. A New Friend?

*Disclaimer: If I told you that I owned Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailor Moon, how many people would believe me? _ZERO_  
That's right, I don't hold any rights to Takeuchi-san's  
BSSM.  
  
BTW, just to clarify. When Mamoru argues with the voices  
in his head, the voice's dialogue is in single quotations.  
Mamoru's replies are in double quotations. But when a  
character is just thinking, their thoughts are in single  
quotes. (At least, usually...I kinda forget things as I  
write each chapter, things such as verb tenses and how I  
differentiate these things. Please bear with me ^_^! )  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 2: A New Friend?  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
"Mamoru-baka" Usagi exclaimed. "You're the baka  
doctor?!"  
  
"Hai. Odango-atama. I should have known that you  
were her Usagi," Mamoru replied with a smirk. "And here I  
was wasting my time, looking all over the place for a  
stuffed animal."  
  
"You know, I thought medical school was a place for  
people to be educated. Evidently I was wrong because -YOU-"  
Usagi jumped out of Nanami's bed and poked her delicate  
index finger into Mamoru's chest, "STILL CAN'T GET MY  
NAME RIGHT!"  
  
Nanami slowly made her way to Usagi's side.  
"Usagi-onee-chan, are you ok? Your face is all red." Nanami  
asked as she gently tugged at Usagi's hand.  
  
Taking a deep breath then flashing Nanami a  
comforting smile, Usagi knelt so that she was eye level with  
the small child. "Nanami-chan, I'll be ok. I just want to  
have a few words with your baka doctor. You can go ahead and  
rest in bed. I'll be back soon in order to take you to the  
chemo room."  
  
Nanami jumped back on her hospital bed and Usagi  
gently tucked her in. Mamoru couldn't help but notice how  
Usagi had changed since he had last seen her four years ago.  
Mamoru was 22 years old and had just graduated from the  
university. Usagi couldn't have been more than 19. Mamoru had  
been accepted to Harvard Medical School and he was soon going  
to leave for the United States. Furuhata Motoki, Mamoru's best  
and only friend, had thrown Mamoru a surprise going away party  
at the arcade.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Ne, Motoki-kun, what's with all this cloak and dagger  
stuff? Why can't you just tell me where we are going?" Mamoru  
grumbled while tugging on his blindfold.  
  
"Hmph. Mamoru-kun, will you just be patient? You'll  
like the surprise, just trust me." Motoki replied, frustrated  
with Mamoru's impatient questions.  
  
"Motoki-kun, you're my friend and all but you know  
that I have never liked any of your surprises. Last time you  
gave me a surprise, you set me up on a blind date with that  
obsessive Hino Rei. After that one date, she thought that we  
were practically engaged. She was like a some sort of  
infection that just wouldn't go away. I had to dye my hair and  
change my wardrobe in order to ditch her. It took me a whole  
month before she started to chase Yuuichirou. Lucky for me, he  
liked her back and now they're a couple or else I never could  
have gotten rid of that horrible blond hair," Mamoru said with  
a sigh.  
  
"And just what's wrong with blond hair," Motoki asked  
angrily, complete with eyebrow twitch.  
  
"Nuh...Nothing, Motoki-kun. Ne, have we arrived at our  
destination?" Mamoru asked nervously. Grinning once more, Motoki  
opened the door to the darkened arcade. "Motoki-kun, this better  
not be a surprise party or I'll ki--" Mamoru warned.  
  
"SURPRISE!!!" Mamoru heard.  
  
"Nani?!" Mamoru ripped the blindfold off and was greeted  
by a colorful sight. The usually clean arcade was now covered  
with balloons and streamers. Mamoru's acquaintances from the  
university were standing around the relatively empty arcade,  
smiling at the bewildered look on usually stoic Mamoru's face.  
  
*SMACK* Someone playfully (or at least, she intended it  
to be playful, not painful) hit Mamoru's back. "Hahaha...  
Mamoru-baka. Daijobu? You look like you are about to faint. If  
you are, don't expect me to help you, even though I am  
volunteering at the hospital. The very idea..."  
  
Mamoru turned to face his attacker and froze. She was  
a sight to behold. Her golden hair was up in her usual odangos,  
glistening from the arcade lights. Usually clothed in her school  
uniform, Usagi wore a short jean skirt and a form fitting top.  
But Mamoru's attention didn't linger on Usagi's change of wardrobe  
(although his eyes did stay slightly glued to her wonderfully long  
and beautiful legs =). Instead, he was put into a trance by the  
smile that lit up Usagi's face. Usually, Mamoru only got to see  
her face grow red with anger and her blue eyes narrow dangerously.  
But when his little Odango smiled (usually at everyone except  
Mamoru), she truly lit up a room. And now, finally, after all  
this time, Mamoru had the honor of being the recipient of one of  
Usagi's dazzling grins.  
  
"The horror of having to endure a surprise party and  
Motoki's scheming is worth the pain if I get to see Odango."  
Mamoru mentally sighed.  
  
'Muah hahahahahaha! Admit your feelings. Hug her! Tell  
her you love her.' screamed the Voice, maniacally.  
  
"Odango? What are you doing here?" questioned the slowly  
recovering Mamoru.  
  
"Eh? To say goodbye, Mamoru-baka," Usagi replied with a  
sly grin. "You've pestered and teased me for five years and now  
I'm here to finally get rid of you. Besides, Motoki-onii-chan  
asked me to help plan and organize the party. I had to come and  
see my work. Plus I get to enjoy the good food Mako-chan made."  
  
"Oh." Mamoru felt surprisingly disappointed, so much so  
that he didn't even insult Usagi. 'Why should I be disappointed?  
So I won't bump into Odango everyday, big deal. She's only been  
a nuisance to me these past five years. I must have received a  
hundred bumps on my head from her flying shoes and test papers.'  
  
'That's right. WHY should you begin to miss your little  
Odango. She's only been your daily source of joy these past five  
years. Admit it, you love the girl.'  
  
"SHUT UP! I DO NOT!"  
  
Amidst the mocking laughter in his head, Mamoru heard  
the sweet voice of HIS Odango. 'YOURS? HAHAHAHA...I TOLD YOU  
SO!!!' the Voice interrupted before being promptly squished by  
Mamoru's Self-Control. "Mamoru-baka, daijobu? I was just teasing  
you." Concerned by his lack of movement, Usagi waved her hand in  
front of Mamoru's face as she peered into his glazed eyes. "Ne,  
Motoki-onii-chan, I think Mamoru-baka went into shock. You  
better come take a look at him."  
  
Grinning slyly, Motoki stood next to Usagi and peered  
into Mamoru's face. "No, it's not shock Usagi-chan. He's in lo--"  
  
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Mamoru clamped a strong  
hand over Motoki's mouth. "I'm _FINE_ Motoki-kun. Let's enjoy  
this party that you worked so hard in planning," Mamoru growled  
as he clamped his other hand on Motoki's shoulder and led him  
away from Usagi. Usagi, completely confused, shook her head in  
disbelief and headed toward the food table where Minako-chan,  
Rei-chan and Ami-chan were trying out Mako-chan's delicious  
creations for the party.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
The past four years had altered Usagi a great deal.  
She seemed more serious. Her figure was something other women  
would turn pea-green with envy when they saw her and leaving men  
utterly astounded. Her hair, as long as it was before, was even  
longer now and, if possible, even more golden and silky. She was  
clad in a simple and plain volunteer uniform but it did not  
detract from her beauty. If anything, it enhanced her charm,  
allowing Usagi's natural grace and elegance to shine through, a  
vast improvement from the clumsy and accident-prone 14 year-old  
he had first met, Mamoru noted with a smile.  
  
'BAKA! She was just as gorgeous and elegant four years  
ago. But NNNNOOO, YOU had to be stubborn and deny your feelings.  
You said that she didn't mean anything to you. But how come every  
time some girl wanted to go out with you at Harvard, your  
thoughts kept wandering back to a certain Odango goddess that was  
back at home, hmmm?'  
  
"Urusai" Mamoru replied to the mutinous Voice in his head.  
'And how come you turn down every girl that crosses your  
path, not even giving them so much as a chance before you write  
them off? Why do you continue to compare every girl to Tsukino  
Usagi? How come you're still a virgin?'  
  
"ENOUGH" bellowed Mamoru and trusty Self-Control  
forcefully shut up the Voice. Mamoru's mind quieted enough to  
return to his previous train of thought.  
  
However, despite her breathtaking appearance, Mamoru  
couldn't help but sense some sort of deep sorrow in Odango. Her  
sparkling blue eyes that once were filled with only happiness  
had dulled and they lost some of their innocence. It was as if  
Usagi's very soul had aged beyond her years. Mamoru, no stranger  
to tragedy, knew that look in Usagi's eyes. Something bad had  
happened to her and it had scarred the young carefree woman that  
he remembered and made her the melancholy Usagi in front of him.  
  
Softly closing the door, Usagi closed her eyes before she  
turned to face Mamoru. "Chiba-san."  
  
Snapping from his reverie at Usagi's unexpected use of  
the honorific, Mamoru turned his full attention to Usagi.  
"Odango? Why are you calling me Chiba-san? What happened to  
Mamoru-baka?"  
  
"Iie, Chiba-san," replied Usagi, shaking her head.  
"This is a hospital and there are certain rules of conduct. I'm  
a volunteer and you're an intern. Despite the fact that you have  
already made the entire population of young, single females here  
at that hospital swoon," Mamoru groaned but Usagi continued as  
if he hadn't interrupted, "I have to treat you with the utmost  
respect. It's been four years, Mamoru-san," Usagi's tone  
softened. "Welcome back to Tokyo."  
  
Bewildered at Usagi's business-like manner, Mamoru  
acted in the only manner he could. "Arigato Usagi-san. It's  
good to be back."  
  
With a smile that never quite reached her eyes, Usagi  
stuck out her hand. "If we are going to work together to help  
these people, we need to grow up and get along. So, let's  
become friends. Nice to meet you, Chiba-san. My name is Tsukino  
Usagi, age 23, volunteer at Tokyo Hospital."  
  
Taking Usagi's hand, Mamoru followed Usagi's example.  
"Hajimemashite, Usagi-san. My name is Chiba Mamoru, age 26,  
intern at Tokyo Hospital. If we're going to begin again, I need  
to say this." Dropping her hand, Mamoru grinned. "I never would  
have believed it. You were a horrible student when we first met."  
Usagi cringed at the memory of the balled up test with a "30%"  
brazenly written on it's wrinkled top. Mamoru continued, "But I  
heard in your third year of secondary school, you changed. You  
studied so much, your grades even rivaled Mizuno Ami's, Juuban's  
own Einstein." Sadly, Usagi recalled those days when she turned  
down shopping trips with minna, Michiru-san's violin concerts,  
Haruka's races and other activities, in order to study more. Her  
eyes began to water but Mamoru did not notice and continued to  
talk. "You even got into Azabu University with a scholarship.  
Demo, even though we were now schoolmates attending the same  
campus, you still careened into me. Usagi-san," Mamoru took a  
deep breath, "I really wanted to say thank you. You proved  
everyone wrong and showed us the studious side to Tsukino Usagi  
we never knew existed. But you never stopped being a caring  
person. You even helped Motoki plan the going away party for me,  
even though I teased you mercilessly. He told me, afterwards,  
that it was your influence that got everyone to come to the  
arcade. If it wasn't for you, no one would have come. I really  
am grateful to you."  
  
'There, I finally said what I should have said years ago.'  
thought Mamoru.  
  
'MMMMMHHHHHMMMMM. YEW HOOD OFF ED EYE OV YEW.' The  
Voice said as best it could through the gag that Self-Control had  
placed on it.  
  
(Translation: *&$#@! You should have said 'I Love You'.)  
  
Suddenly, her tears of sadness became tears of joy. Giving  
Mamoru a tremulous smile, Usagi whispered, "You're welcome."  
Wiping her eyes dry on her handkerchief, Usagi re-entered Nanami's  
room to help the young girl prepare for her chemotherapy treatment.  
  
Scratching his head, Mamoru wondered at his recent actions.  
'Why was I so open with her? I never show my emotions to anyone.  
But I see Usagi for ten minutes and all the walls that I've built  
over the years crumble in no time. What's wrong with me today?  
How do I know that I can trust her?' Shaking his head, Mamoru  
corrected his own thoughts. 'Iie. Usagi might have been hurt in  
some way during these last four years, but I'm sure she still values  
her friendships. And now I've become her friend. She'd never betray  
me.'  
  
Suddenly, Mamoru's worst nightmare came true, shocking him  
out of his deep contemplation of the situation. Mamoru's heart began  
to beat wildly as Dr. Hongo rounded the corner of the hallway and  
rapidly approached Nanami's hospital room.  
  
Translations:  
  
hajimemashite-I believe that it means "Nice to meet you.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
For Rei fans: If I have offended you, please forgive me.  
She was created that way only for comedic purposes. Besides, I  
think that she deserves a good guy and Yuuichirou really likes her.  
  
Gomen for not posting last week but spring break kept me  
away from the computer. I'm back at the university now so I hope I  
won't miss any more deadlines.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	4. The Sand in the Hourglass Slips By Unnot...

*Disclaimer: I didn't create Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.  
BSSM is worth millions and if I had that kind of cash, I'd  
buy a house in the Berkeley area so that I wouldn't be  
stuck in the dorm with an evil roommate. *shudders*  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 3: The Sand in the Hourglass Slips By Unnoticed...  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
'Shimatta! I was supposed to have Nanami in the  
chemo room 40 minutes ago. Dr. Hongo is going to think that  
I'm irresponsible and can't handle patients. She looks mad  
enough to yell.' Mamoru looked at the expression on Dr.  
Hongo's face. 'Change that. She's mad enough to kill me!'  
  
Scowling, Dr. Hongo stepped right in front of  
Mamoru. Planting her hands on her hips, she raised herself  
to her full height, towering over Mamoru angrily. Mamoru  
shrank back in fear. The flames of Hell roared behind the  
doctor, an indication of how incensed she was.  
  
"Where in the world is Nanami? She's missed her  
appointed chemo treatment," growled Dr. Hongo. "A nurse  
paged me to inform me that my patient, who I thought was  
being treated by my intern, was," Dr. Hongo pauses her rant  
to glance at her watch, "forty-three minutes and 52 seconds  
late. Care to explain as to why you are out here and not in  
the chemo room with a sick little girl? Don't just stand  
there like some useless moron, answer me CHIBA!" Dr. Hongo's  
eyes narrowed as she glared at Mamoru. Despite her anger,  
she could tell that there was something different about her  
young intern. If she could only put her finger on it...  
  
Meanwhile, Mamoru could feel the flames emanating  
from Dr. Hongo lick at his face, waiting to consume him.  
"I...I...I..." stuttered Mamoru, face completely ashen in  
the face of Dr. Hongo's wrath.  
  
Just then, a tenshi saved Mamoru from being burned  
at the stake. "Chotto matte, Hongo-san," Usagi interrupted.  
"Nanami-chan was really frightened of the chemo room and  
Chiba-san had to wait until I arrived before Nanami-chan  
would agree to go with him. Gomen nasai, Hongo-san. It was  
my fault that she missed her appointment time," Usagi lowered  
her head as she apologized.  
  
Mouth agape, Mamoru stared at Usagi in surprise. Why  
was she doing this? She was only a volunteer. Dr. Hongo could  
easily tell her not to come back again. Mamoru thought. If  
his own shortcomings caused Usagi to be banned from the  
hospital, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Afterall,  
patients needed Usagi's kindness. Didn't Nanami prove his  
theory? He couldn't believe that Usagi was trying to protect  
him. True, they had just decided to become friends, but when  
had he ever done anything for Usagi that would warrant such  
devotion and camaraderie from her? Even if it meant risking  
his own neck, he couldn't let Usagi sacrifice her volunteer  
position at the hospital. 'Well, I can kiss the dream of  
becoming a doctor good bye. Once I tell Dr. Hongo the truth,  
I won't even have a chance of obtaining a residency anywhere  
in the world, let alone Tokyo Hospital. I just hope that  
Motoki can get me a job at the Crown Arcade.'  
  
But before Mamoru could tell the truth behind the  
whole situation, Tenshi Usagi performed another miracle that  
day. Stunned, Mamoru's mouth flew open for the second time  
this past hour. For the first time since Mamoru first met  
Dr. Hongo, her icy veneer cracked. That expression on her  
face...it wasn't a grimace or even a smirk. It was a  
honest-to-Kami-sama smile. She looked...happy?   
  
"Oh, Usagi-chan, it's you," Dr. Hongo's face, which  
had looked like a sinister gargoyle when she was yelling at  
Mamoru, softened and took on a much more calmer and friendlier  
look. "So Nanami got scared again. But I trust that you were  
more than able to placate her, ne?"  
  
Lifting her bowed head, Usagi flashed a quick smile  
at Dr. Hongo's compliment. "Hai, Hongo-san. I made a little  
deal with Nanami-chan and she agreed. There shouldn't be any  
more problems with future treatments. But I should have been  
here sooner so that Nanami-chan wouldn't be late for her  
treatment. I--"  
  
Before Usagi could apologize any further, Dr. Hongo  
cut her off. "No need to apologize, Usagi-chan. I know how  
your work can make you late from your normally scheduled  
volunteering shift. Demo, you always try your best to make  
the patients happy. You're always able to cheer the patients  
up. That's why a colleague of mine asked that you visit a  
patient of hers after you're done taking care of Nanami. Don't  
worry about this incident. Now," Dr. Hongo commented as she  
turned her attention back on Mamoru. "Chiba, I trust that with  
Usagi-chan's help, you'll be able to complete your task  
efficiently. You might want to become friends with her, Chiba.  
She'll teach you more about being a doctor than I could." With  
those mysterious words, Dr. Hongo walked back to finish her  
rounds, heels clicking off into the distance.  
  
Slowly coming out of the temporary coma that he was  
in after the shock of Dr. Hongo's sudden change in temperament,  
Mamoru turned his head back toward Usagi. She had gone into  
Nanami's room and was now coaxing Nanami into a wheelchair.  
  
"Come on, Nanami-chan. I know that you can walk fine,  
demo it's hospital policy. Every patient going to the chemo room  
has to be put into a wheelchair," wheedled Usagi.  
  
Groaning, Nanami reluctantly sat in the wheelchair. "I  
feel dumb. Everyone is going to see me with no hair.  
Usagi-onee-chan, what if they laugh?" she asked in a quiet voice.  
  
Kneeling in front of Nanami, Usagi took the girl's  
small hands into her own. "Oh Nanami-chan. That's why you never  
leave the hospital room. You're afraid the other kids will make  
fun of you. Listen to me, Nanami-chan. Some kids can be cruel.  
Your parents told me about some of those classmates of yours.  
Demo their opinions mean nothing. They don't understand these  
things. Not having hair is a beautiful thing too."  
  
"But your hair is beautiful. I just have a bald head,"  
sniffled Nanami.  
  
Frowning at the girl's depression, Usagi tried once  
more to reason with the child. "Iie. Hair is just hair. Many  
people made fun of my hair. Your doctor for example. He used  
to always called me 'Odango Atama'. You heard him just a little  
while ago. Those comments used to make me so angry. Sometimes  
they still do, like just then. But they made me sad too. I felt  
like I was weird, different from everyone else. I was even going  
to cut my hair short, like my friend Ami-chan's or Haruka-san."  
  
Completely forgetting to feel sorry for herself, Nanami  
gasped. "Cut your hair? But it's so pretty." The little girl  
picked up some of Usagi's golden strands and let them glide  
through her fingers. At the doorway, Mamoru felt a sharp twinge  
of guilt. He had said so many hurtful things to Usagi in the  
past. He never thought of how much he had hurt the girl. And  
here was Usagi trying to save his career by sacrificing one of  
the few joys in her life. Usagi was so kind and forgiving.  
Mamoru vowed to himself to make himself worthy of her immense  
gift of friendship.  
  
Smiling, Usagi continued her story. "Arigato,  
Nanami-chan. I'm glad that I didn't cut it. I began to see it  
as a badge of courage. No matter what people said or did to  
discourage me, I promised myself to always keep my hairstyle the  
way I liked it to be. I was going to prove to the world that  
they couldn't break my will. Your bald head is a badge of courage  
as well. It shows that you are fighting the cancer, no matter  
what it tries to do."  
  
Nanami once again grinned at Usagi's words of comfort.  
"You are right, Usagi-onee-chan. It's my badge of courage. I'll  
be strong, just like you, onee-chan, and prove to the world that  
it can't defeat me." Returning Nanami's grin, Usagi stood and  
started to push the wheelchair towards the door.  
  
Mamoru glanced at Usagi as she pushed Nanami's wheelchair  
by him. Her smile that had been present during her talk with Nanami  
had disappeared again. She seemed so sad. Something during her  
conversation with Nanami had affected her, deeply. Mamoru fell  
into step by Usagi's side, deep in thought over Usagi's behavior.  
  
"My Odango Atama has changed so much. She never stopped  
smiling before," contemplated Mamoru.  
  
*snort* 'Except when she yelled at you for calling her  
that abhorrent nickname.'  
  
*sigh* "You're back? Where's Self-Control?"  
  
'He won't be back for awhile. HAHAHA!' laughed the Voice,  
with devilish glee. A mental image formed of poor Self-Control,  
with swirls instead of eyes, tied up, gagged, and unconscious in  
a corner of Mamoru's mind.  
  
Mamoru mentally sweatdropped at the Voice's antics. He must  
be going insane, especially if he was conversing with himself. Iie.  
He WAS insane because the voice in his head not only had a mind of  
it's own, it was also cackling like some bad anime character.  
  
(A.N. Think Emeraude, Zoicite (DiC version)...I could go on, but  
this story isn't about that. =)  
  
Losing his mind would be the only explanation as to why  
Usagi was able to bring out all these emotions in him. Never had  
any other human being made Mamoru feel compassion or sympathy. His  
heart had been encased in ice and steel of Mamoru's own making. Too  
many years alone and friendless had almost crushed Mamoru. But he  
had fought back and paid the price. Before he met Usagi, he was ice  
personified. Perhaps he was even crueler than Dr. Hongo. At least  
she seemed to be able to melt once in awhile. No, the Mamoru of  
nine years ago always wore an arrogant smirk, as if he was laughing  
everyone else who felt emotions. Even with Motoki, Mamoru had never  
told him everything. Mamoru never went with Motoki to those various  
extracurricular activities that Motoki was so fond of. Mamoru was  
aware of his own good looks, even back then. How could he not notice  
how girls would follow him around, whispering things like, "Check  
out that luscious black hair!", "What I wouldn't give to be held in  
those muscular arms?" or other such nonsense? But Mamoru would only  
sniff in disdain and ignore the little looks, notes or gifts from  
the flirtatious girls.  
  
Only a few girls ever extracted a response out of Chiba  
Mamoru. Hino Rei annoyed Mamoru with her incessant clinging and her  
talk of eternal devotion. Even Mamoru's icy comments and angry glares  
had done nothing to convince the girl that he was not interested. A  
little girl with golden curls, one of Mamoru's first memories after  
the accident, elicited a feeling of comfort and companionship.   
  
*Flashback*  
  
Right after the car accident, Mamoru remembered waking up in  
a strange bed. The hospital room was sterile and barren, completely  
frightening the poor child. A doctor came and told him of his  
situation. "Your parents are dead. You have no living relatives.  
You'll be sent to an orphanage once you have recovered." After the  
doctor left, Mamoru sat up at the edge of the hard mattress and  
stared at his feet dangling above the brown tile floor. Lifting a  
tiny hand to his head, he could feel the strange bandage covering  
his head. Closing his eyes, Mamoru tried to remember what had  
happened. But everything, his parents, his childhood, the feeling  
of being loved and wanted, was gone. Suddenly, Mamoru could feel hot  
tears fall from his eyes and onto his thin blue hospital pants. His  
eyesight blurred as more tears slid down his face.  
  
Suddenly, Mamoru felt something warm being placed on his  
lap. Startled, Mamoru peered between his hands that had been  
covering his face as he cried. At first, all he could see was a  
shiny gold object. But as he blinked his tears away, he realized  
that the golden object was really a head. A tiny girl, only three  
years old compared to his 5 and a half, had placed her head in his  
lap in an effort to comfort him. Seeing that he had stopped crying  
and was now staring at her in wonderment, the golden child in a  
purple dress lifted up her head and looked into Mamoru's  
tear-filled eyes.  
  
"Why are you sad? My okaa-san just had a baby. I'm going  
to be a onee-chan. It's a special day today," said the golden girl.  
Her hair was in the oddest style. There were two little balls, one  
on each side of her head. "My parents died. I'm all alone." Mamoru  
replied with a teary sniff. The girl looked down at the bouquet she  
held in her hands. After a bit of a struggle since the bouquet was  
half her size, the girl pulled out a single rose and held it out to  
Mamoru.  
  
Looking at the rose, Mamoru was shocked. Holding out a  
shaking hand, he took the offered gift. "Arigato," he said, shyly.  
Smiling brightly, the girl gently set the rest of the bouquet down  
and scrambled onto Mamoru's hospital bed. Giving him an impulsive  
hug and a peck on the cheek, she asked, "Do you feel better?"  
  
Mamoru looked at the girl in surprise. She had shown him  
so much love and understanding and she didn't even know him. "Hai.  
Arigato. Gomen nasai, demo, who are you?" Giggling, the little  
girl slid off the bed. Patting Mamoru's knee, she replied, "Your  
new family. You don't have your parents. My parents are adding  
to our family. Why not add you as well? You can be my onii-san."  
Before he could respond, Mamoru heard a deep male voice calling  
for his mesume outside in the hallway. The little girl picked up  
the bouquet and skipped toward the door. Before she left though,  
she turned once more toward Mamoru. "You're never alone. You'll  
always have me as your family." With that, the little girl skipped  
right out of Mamoru's life.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
This was one of Mamoru's most pleasant memories. In fact,  
it was his only pleasant memory of the hospital or his childhood.  
The hospital staff only looked at him in pity. When Mamoru arrived  
at the orphanage, the children wouldn't play with him. He just  
didn't fit in. While the other children had some memories of their  
parents, Mamoru couldn't remember anything, not even a kiss  
goodnight. Some of the other children made fun of him because of  
his head injury, calling him all sorts of mean names. It was during  
this time that Mamoru began building walls around himself. But  
despite his cold exterior to the other orphanage children, Mamoru  
never forgot the golden child from the hospital.  
  
'And what about Tsukino Usagi?' the Voice questioned.  
  
"What about her?" thought Mamoru.  
  
'What feelings does she bring out in you? Friendship?  
Attraction? Lust? Or could it be something purer, more enduring?  
What if it's Love?' taunted the Voice.  
  
But for once Mamoru had no biting retort for the Voice.  
Tsukino Usagi was someone special to him, had been ever since she  
had hit him with that wadded up test paper. That much he knew for  
certain. But exactly how special, Mamoru didn't know or care to  
discover at this moment. Feelings were a messy business and they  
required extensive time and effort. Dr. Hongo held him to high  
standards, which meant putting in extra time and energy into his  
internship. He had been extremely lucky that Harvard had allowed  
him to return to Tokyo to finish his internship and still receive  
his medical degree from them. His excellent academic record had  
to be maintained and Mamoru couldn't let his grades drop, no  
matter how tired he was after working at the hospital. Luckily  
for him, Mamoru only had classes a few days a week. But with  
these two responsibilities looming over him, Mamoru knew he did  
NOT want a girlfriend to juggle as well. A friend, yes, Mamoru  
had time for a friend. He would talk to Odango at the hospital.  
He would be more considerate when he talked to her and no longer  
would he insult her or hurt her in any way. Mamoru would turn  
himself into a good friend for Odango and maybe help ease her  
sadness by doing so. After all, that was the least he could do  
after the whole episode with Dr. Hongo. Maybe, Usagi would be  
that rare person Mamoru could really talk to. Perhaps that's  
what Mamoru felt for Usagi. Perhaps his odd feelings, emotions  
he had never felt before, were a indication that she could be  
a true best friend, a confidante that he never had. After all,  
her compassion in dealing with Nanami just now proved that she  
was a willing listener and a understanding soul.  
  
'Confidante? You love her, you BAKA!' screamed the  
Voice. The Voice, preoccupied with trying to make Mamoru  
realize the truth in front of his face, didn't realize that  
the now-conscious Self-Control had a feral gleam in it's eyes  
as it wiggled suspiciously in the corner.  
  
The four-lettered word threw Mamoru for a loop. Love?  
That wasn't possible. Usagi was special to him, but it wasn't  
love. But deep in Mamoru's heart, something felt wrong when he  
thought those words. Confused, Mamoru thought, "What do I really  
feel for Odango? Could it be..."  
  
*WHAM* *SQUISH* An enraged Self-Control, who had just  
freed itself from the Voice's bindings, mercilessly squashed  
Mamoru's train of thought. Self-Control reigned supreme once  
again. Mentally shaking himself, Mamoru reprimanded himself,  
recalling that he didn't have time to waste figuring out his  
feelings for Odango Atama.  
  
As Mamoru began the chemotherapy treatment for Nanami,  
Usagi clasped Nanami's hands in her own. Unseen by all mortals,  
Time appeared and looked upon the scene with it's eternal and  
wise eyes.  
  
"Unfortunately for you, young man, your words hold  
truth. Both Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi have no time to  
waste," Time intoned. "But it shall be wasted nonetheless..."  
Time whispered sadly as it disappeared.  
  
Translations:  
  
tenshi-angel  
chotto matte-wait a minute  
mesume-daughter  
arigato-thanks  
gomen nasai-I'm sorry  
demo-but  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Um...good, bad, indifferent? Please send all questions,  
comments, and constructive criticisms.   
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ (Thanks to MG from SMRFF for this quote.) 


	5. Pain Underneath the Kamen

*Disclaimer: Toil, sweat and tears. That is the result of writing  
this story. However, that's all that I get for being a fanfiction  
writer. I am not Takeuchi Naoko therefore I receive no payment for  
my flights of fancy. But I digress.  
  
Quick note: When Dr. Hongo or Dr. Mizuno is used, it means that  
they are regarded as professional doctors. But when their given  
names are used, they are simply thought of as regular people.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 4: Pain Underneath the Kamen  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
Mamoru had finally finished visiting his remaining patients.  
He had no more problems with screaming little girls. Unfortunately,  
he DID have problems with a few young women (and a young man, added  
Mamoru with a grimace) giving him flirtatious glances as Mamoru took  
their vital signs. Mamoru smirked. All he needed to do was to remain  
his icy and disinterested self and those flirty looks died a quick  
death.  
  
Glancing at his watch, Mamoru walked toward Dr. Hongo's  
office. 'Mo...It's almost 5:00 p.m. My shift is almost over. Good  
thing too. I have to finish my report for anatomy.' he thought  
tiredly as he suppressed another yawn. 'Oh well, once I meet with  
Hongo-san and give her my status report, I'll be able to leave.'  
  
*Meanwhile*  
  
Usagi was telling a story to Nanami to help ease the nausea  
that always followed her chemo treatment when Nanami's parents arrived.  
Usagi informed them of that day's developments outside in the hallway.  
When Nanami's okaa-san heard that her daughter was ashamed of her  
appearance, she leaned on her husband's shoulder to cry. Even Nanami's  
usually stoic otou-san shed a few tears for his ailing daughter.  
Thanking Usagi for soothing Nanami's fears, the girl's parents stepped  
into the room so that they could spend some family time together.  
Smiling wistfully, Usagi knew that Nanami would be thrilled that her  
parents were there to see her. Nanami worshipped her blond  
Usagi-onee-chan, wishing that she could be just like Usagi. Beauty,  
wisdom, kindness and friends, to Nanami, Usagi seemed to have it all.  
Nanami never would have guessed how much Usagi envied the little girl  
at that moment. Nanami was protected and safe with her loving parents.  
The warmth of parental love was something that Usagi had not experienced  
for a long time. Unnoticed, a solitary tear slid it's way down Usagi's  
saddened face.  
  
With a gentle click, Usagi closed the door so that Nanami and  
her family could enjoy some time away from the troubles of the world.  
With a sigh, Usagi stopped her self-pity and noticed the tear. She  
roughly wiped it away as if to deny the fact that she had been crying  
and her face turned into a mask of self-loathing. 'I swore that I would  
stop being such a crybaby.' Usagi thought vehemently. 'How could I be  
so jealous? Nanami deserves the love of her parents, especially at  
such a difficult time. How selfish can I be?' Closing her eyes, Usagi  
began to take deep, soothing breaths. Calming herself down, Usagi began  
to head toward Dr. Hongo's office, recalling that Dr. Hongo had wanted  
her to see a new patient. To the world, it seemed as if Usagi was back  
to normal. Only by looking into her eyes would someone be able to detect  
that she was crying on the inside.  
  
Knocking rapidly on Dr. Hongo's door, Mamoru waited impatiently  
for his supervising doctor to answer. 'Hayaku. I need to leave,'  
thought Mamoru as he knocked again.  
  
"Enter." Dr. Hongo could be heard saying. Opening the door,  
Mamoru seated himself in Dr. Hongo's office. And then, he waited. And  
waited. And WAITED until Dr. Hongo would finally deem him worthy of  
her (Mamoru rolled his eyes) valuable attention. After a minute, Dr.  
Hongo finally looked away from her patient files and motioned Mamoru  
to begin his briefing.  
  
Talking as quickly and concisely as he could without downright  
speaking one word sentences, Mamoru gave Dr. Hongo a quick run down  
of the progress of each patient that he had seen that day. When he  
was through, Mamoru looked at Dr. Hongo expectantly. He wasn't  
disappointed.  
  
Sighing, Dr. Hongo took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge  
of her nose. Slowly putting her glasses on again, Dr. Hongo's emerald  
eyes had changed once again to the icy green Mamoru was accustomed to  
seeing. "Chiba, telling me the progress of each patient should not be  
a 'chore.' You need to give me a detailed summary of each patient's  
well-being in order to ensure the quality of care that they receive  
from us. If you want to be a doctor, you must realize that YOU work  
for them. No matter what your needs are, the patient should come first.  
While school is not doubt very important, a patient's life should be  
your top priority. Even prior to entering my office, you were  
desperately trying to make me hurry up with that aggravating knock. And  
then, Chiba, you try to compact the progress reports of 10 patients  
into 5 minutes and," Dr. Hongo glanced at her watch, "39 seconds."  
  
Trying to keep himself from screaming in frustration, Mamoru  
hastily interrupted Dr. Hongo's lecture. "Gomen nasai, Hongo-san. Demo  
the majority of the patients that I examined today were only check-ups.  
Nothing major was occurring in their health so I did not see the  
purpose in repeating boring details that you would be able to read in  
the reports." Mamoru hoped to avoid a further argument with Dr. Hongo  
by making her see the logic of his actions but to no avail. Any  
further words that Mamoru might have said disappeared when Dr. Hongo  
raised her hand to motion that Mamoru be silent.  
  
Choosing her words carefully, Dr. Hongo looked Mamoru straight  
in the eye. Icy blue met icy green as Dr. Hongo continued to lecture  
Mamoru. "Iie, Chiba, you are wrong. So very wrong. In medicine, sometimes  
the smallest detail could mean the difference between life and death.  
The purpose of the brief is to make sure that every detail is discussed  
so that nothing that might indicate a more serious problem is missed  
when the reports are read." Dr. Hongo carefully scrutinized Mamoru's  
angry face. "In order to get where you are today, Chiba, I know that  
you had to decided what was important and what was not. But in certain  
things, you have made the wrong decisions." Dr. Hongo's gaze never  
faltered from Mamoru's, despite the fact that Mamoru was now openly  
glaring at the doctor. "Chiba, in some cases, the things that seem the  
most important at the moment aren't truly important matters. A lot of  
times, the little things in life are what truly define life." But  
before Dr. Hongo could elaborate further, a knock was heard.  
  
Dr. Hongo broke eye contact with Mamoru and said, "Nani?" The  
door opened and Usagi walked in. "Gomen nasai, Hongo-san, I didn't  
know that you were busy..." said Usagi as she saw that Mamoru was  
present as well.  
  
"Iie. It's ok, Usagi-chan. I remember, I was supposed to take  
you to see that patient." Dr. Hongo again reverted to a kind and gentle  
woman. "Chiba, you've already been told my preferences for briefings. I  
hope that your keep my instructions in mind in the future." With that,  
Dr. Hongo stood up, effectively dismissing Mamoru, and walked toward  
Usagi. "Come with me, Usagi-chan. My colleague and I both think that  
you are the best hope for this particular patient." Dr. Hongo and Usagi  
left, leaving Mamoru alone.  
  
'Dr. Hongo is just too odd.' Shaking his head in confusion,  
Mamoru's gaze fell upon the clock on Dr. Hongo's desk. 'SHIMATTA! The  
library is going to close in less than an hour and I still have to get  
one more book for the report.' In a flash, Mamoru had raced to his office,  
grabbed his jacket and tossed his lab coat off and sprinted to his car.  
  
*Meanwhile*  
  
"Hongo-san," began Usagi but she was soon silenced when the  
doctor shook her head.  
  
"Iie, Usagi-chan. You know that I don't want you to call me  
that," Dr. Hongo smiled. "Chiba isn't around and all the others know  
that you don't call me Hongo-san."  
  
"Gomen, I forgot. Ne, Ayanami-san, why are you so hard on  
Chiba-san?" questioned Usagi as she tilted her head to the side.  
  
Ayanami laughed. "Usagi-chan, you truly look like a chibi  
usagi when you do that." That joke got Usagi to smile as well. "Well,  
Usagi-chan, that's a good question. I treat him harshly because I  
think that he needs to be brought down a notch. He has so much  
arrogance and anger inside him. With such an attitude, he'll never  
become a successful doctor. That would be a big waste of talent  
because the man has the potential to become one of the best doctors I  
have ever seen. But his outlook on life is his largest stumbling block.  
Unless he changes, he'll become another cold-hearted doctor, more  
interested in dollar signs than the person behind the patient. You know  
as well as I do that the human spirit needs to be willing to be healed  
before the human body can be treated. Chiba has yet to learn this lesson."  
  
Usagi suddenly stopped walking. Puzzled, Ayanami turned to  
be face to face with Usagi. "Doushita ne, Usagi-chan?" Ayanami said  
as she realized that Usagi's eyes were filled with tears.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Ayanami-san. Demo sometimes, even though the  
spirit is willing, the body can not," whispered Usagi.  
  
"Oh Usagi-chan. It is I who should be saying gomen nasai. I  
should not be bringing this up. I suppose seeing Nanami's parents  
really hit home," apologized Ayanami as she enveloped Usagi in a  
comforting hug.  
  
Sobbing, Usagi buried herself in her friend's embrace. "When,  
Ayanami-san? When does the pain stop? When does the fear dissipate?  
When can I be myself again?" Startled by Usagi's sudden emotional  
outpouring, Ayanami could do nothing but hold the young woman and  
let her cry her heart out.  
  
After awhile, Usagi's sobs subsided and her hold on Ayanami  
loosened. "Arigato gozaimasu, Ayanami-san. I'll be fine. Please,  
allow me to clean up in the bathroom and I'll be happy to see the  
patient."  
  
Watching Usagi as she disappeared, Ayanami was filled with  
an overwhelming sense of sadness. Usagi was once so full of light  
and laughter. Now, the light had been taken over by darkness and the  
laughter had been replaced by tears. No one deserved the hell that  
Usagi had to deal with these past few years. When Usagi returned  
from the bathroom, her mask of calm was put back in place. There  
was no trace of tears. Ayanami inwardly sighed. Ever since the  
whole mess had started, Usagi had been trying to deal with her  
pain by herself. Never had she talked to any of her friends in  
order to allow her to finally begin the healing process. Osaka  
Naru, Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, Aino Minako, Tenoh Haruka,  
Kaioh Michiru, Meioh Setsuna and Tomoe Hotaru were some of Usagi's  
closest and dearest friends but even they had not been able to help  
her. Usagi never allowed herself to think of herself first. The needs  
of others always overrode her own in Usagi's mind. That's what drew  
others toward her. Usagi was warmth personified. She listened to the  
problems of others but no one knew her problems. Ayanami knew that  
Usagi was always sincerely happy when she was with her friends. The  
understanding that Usagi had for others had not lessened after the  
ordeal. But, whenever Usagi had a quiet moment, Ayanami knew that  
Usagi was still in a lot of pain. Keeping her problems to herself,  
however, was killing Usagi, slowly but surely. 'Does my poor friend  
never get a break?' Ayanami complained. 'Kami-sama, Usagi deserves  
a break. She already is physically dying and now emotionally...'  
Ayanami's thoughts were interrupted when they arrived at their  
destination.  
  
"Ayanami-chan. Usagi-chan. I'm glad that both of you are  
finally here." A dark haired woman, somewhat older than Ayanami,  
appeared.  
  
"Mizuno-san. Konbanwa," responded Usagi as she bowed.  
Ayanami simply smiled at her best friend and colleague. "How is  
Ami-chan?" asked Usagi, smiling at the thought of her studious  
young friend.  
  
Dr. Mizuno returned Usagi's smile. "Usagi-chan, as polite  
as when I first met you nine years ago. Didn't I tell you back then  
that you could address me by my given name? Just because this is a  
hospital, doesn't mean that you can't call me Keiko. Everyone else  
has asked you to address them by their given name and I ask you to  
do the same. I'm surprised by your question though, Usagi-chan. I  
thought for sure that you two would have run into each other by now."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "Iie, Keiko-san. I haven't seen  
Ami-chan all day. I was with Nanami-chan all day today." Keiko  
looked at Usagi in understanding. "It's ok, Usagi-chan. I'm  
sure that Ami understands. She should be meeting us here as  
well."  
  
Usagi grinned. Ami-chan, one of her best friends, was  
a bookworm-workaholic, had been since they first met. Even now, she  
was volunteering at the hospital as her mother's assistant after  
her classes as Azabu U. Ami-chan was well on her way to becoming  
a wonderful pediatrician just like her mother. Even though Ami  
was only in her first year of medical school, her gentle and  
compassionate nature soothed many of the children in Dr. Mizuno's  
office. At the mention of Ami's name, Usagi's mind wandered to  
her other friends as the two doctors began to discuss the more  
technical aspects of the patient's health.  
  
Naru-chan was Usagi's friend since kindergarten. After  
attending Azabu U, Naru married her high school sweetheart, Gurio  
Umino. Umino-kun was now an agent of the Japanese Bureau of  
Investigation*. His amazing ability since secondary school was  
finding out the secrets of all the students at Juuban, no matter  
how insignificant it seemed. This uncanny ability of his paid off  
since Umino-kun was now a rising star in the Bureau. Naru-chan had  
earned a degree in business and was now helping her mother full  
time at OSA-P, the Osaka family jewelry store.  
  
(A.N. I don't think this exists but I didn't know what else to use.)  
  
Rei-chan, with all her fiery personality, was now in  
charge of Hikawa Jinja. After the passing of her grandfather,  
Rei was left with the temple, her only help in the form of her  
fiancé Yuuichirou. Rei-chan said she was immensely happy,  
despite the fact that, as a teenager, she had said that she  
would someday be a famous priestess, composer, singer, and  
actress. ^_^!  
  
Minako-chan, a.k.a. Mina-P, had continued in her acting  
career and become quite famous. Her long blond hair and light  
blue eyes were splashed on the cover of every trendy magazine.  
But in spite of stardom, Mina-P remained the same loveable and  
starry-eyed girl that Usagi had met nine years ago. To this day,  
despite the fact that she's starred in numerous movies, Mina-P  
still mixes up her sayings, much to the amusement of her friends.  
  
Mako-chan, with her unimaginable strength and even  
more amazing cooking ability, now owned a little bakery and  
flower shop. The sempai of her past had faded into oblivion  
and Mako-chan was now married to her former best friend,  
Shinozaki. Amazingly, despite Mako-chan's delectable dishes,  
Shinozaki still remained slim. With a small grin, Usagi  
recalled how she and her friends glared at him, with daggers in  
their eyes, when they discovered that Shinozaki hadn't gained a  
pound since he had married Mako-chan six months ago.  
  
Michiru-san and Haruka-san were content with their  
lives. Everyone knew that the famous violinist and painter and  
the equally famous racer were hopelessly in love with each other.  
They both spent a lot of time away from Tokyo touring, but when  
they were back, you could expect some mischief to follow,  
especially since Haruka was fond of teasing the blond Odango.  
Sometimes, you would never guess that Haruka and Michiru were  
three years older than Usagi. Haruka seemed to be Usagi's age,  
if not younger, not in a physical sense but in an emotional  
maturity sense. Haruka teased Usagi and Usagi yelled at her in  
return. Their fights usually resulted in Usagi chasing Haruka  
around the place, reminiscent of Rei's infamous chases with  
Yuuichirou. Michiru always ended up restraining Haruka and  
lecturing her like a mother would lecture a naughty child. But  
Haruka would always give Michiru a puppy-dog look and Michiru  
would break down. A kiss would ensue and everyone would sigh in  
envy of the loving couple.  
  
Setsuna-san, one of Usagi's longest acquaintances,  
was a chemist working at one of the most important medical  
research facilities in Japan. Married with a young son, Setsuna  
credited most of her happiness to Usagi. She always said that  
if she didn't meet Usagi nine years ago, when Setsuna was 19  
years old, then she would never have had the courage to agree to  
go on a date with the man who would be her future husband nor  
would she have found a job suited to her liking, chemical  
research.  
  
Hotaru-chan, despite the fact that she was the same age  
as Haruka and Michiru and two years younger than Setsuna,  
considered Usagi to be her best friend. While everyone else was  
very dear to her, Usagi had been Hotaru's first friend. Everyone  
had shunned her because she was Professor Tomoe's daughter. The  
professor held a high position on the school board, not to  
mention the fact that he was a famous researcher. Everyone  
declared that Hotaru was a stuck-up snob, living in her  
large house in the outskirts of Tokyo. One day the cold stares  
became too much for Hotaru and she ran to the park in order to  
cry her sorrow to the world. It was there that Usagi found her,  
comforted her and took her to the Tsukino home. Hotaru found  
in Usagi an understanding soul whose kindness healed her pain.  
They have been friends ever since that day eight years ago.  
  
Usagi was startled out of her memories when soft steps  
could be heard behind her. Turning her head, Usagi grinned in  
order to greet her long time friend. "Ami-chan," Usagi said as  
the blue haired young woman walked up to Keiko and Ayanami.  
  
"Ayanami-san. Okaa-san. Usagi-chan. Konbanwa," stated  
Ami as she bowed in greeting.  
  
"Ami, Usagi-chan," said Keiko after the greetings had  
been exchanged. "You've both heard about the young girl that was  
in that horrible accident?"  
  
Both girls nodded. "Poor thing. She's an orphan now,"  
Ami said, sadly.  
  
"Hai, Ami." Keiko looked at Ayanami, who nodded. "Ami,  
you'll be accompanying me when I treat the child's wounds, but  
that's about the extent of how I can help her. Usagi-chan, I have  
a huge favor to ask of you."  
  
"Nani, Keiko-san? Me?" Usagi was confused. What could she  
do? She didn't have any medical training. She was merely a  
volunteer at the hospital.  
  
"Hai, Usagi-chan." Keiko looked down at the girl's patient  
chart. "The unknown girl has lost all memory due to a head injury  
that occurred as a result of the crash. Several neurologists have  
examined her and are unsure as to when the girl will regain her  
memory, if ever. She's all alone, Usagi-chan. I was wondering,  
since she's going to be here for awhile, if you could cheer her up,  
become her friend. Since she'll end up at the orphanage eventually,  
Ayanami and I decided that she should at least have a friend to  
talk to before she's placed in such a lonely situation. You're the  
best at cheering other people up, Usagi-chan." 'Perhaps this will  
also cheer you up, Usagi-chan.' added Keiko silently.  
  
Ami's eyes pleaded with Usagi to accept Keiko's request.  
'Please, Usagi-chan. I want you to get better. This little girl  
just might be the key to your recovery.'  
  
Ayanami just stood there, watching the silent pleas  
of Ami and the silent prayer of Keiko. She added to the inaudible  
conversation with a wish of her own. 'Usagi, we'll try anything  
to make you the happy girl you once were. But please, you have to  
be willing to try. Don't give up, Usagi.'  
  
Usagi wasn't aware their silent requests. All she knew  
was that a little girl was in pain and that she might be able  
to do something to help lessen that pain. There was no question  
in Usagi's mind as to whether or not she would help the girl.  
"Well, how about I meet the child and I'll see what I can do."  
  
The other three women breathed sighs of relief. Dr.  
Mizuno led the little group to the pediatric ward. "She's very  
withdrawn at the moment. She might not respond at first." Dr.  
Mizuno knocked on the door and, upon a soft "Enter", opened  
the door. There, sitting upon the bed, was the poor girl. Her  
light blue flannel pajamas were a little too big, making her  
already small frame seem even smaller. Her soft pink hair was  
down, reaching to the middle of her back. Staring at the wall  
in front of her, she didn't even turn her ruby red eyes to the  
group that had just entered her room.  
  
Dr. Mizuno approached the bed. She quickly checked the  
bandages and wrote a few notes on the medical chart. After she was  
done, Dr. Mizuno softly addressed the girl. "Miss, this is Hongo  
Ayanami, a doctor here at the hospital and my closest friend. The  
woman to her right is my mesume and volunteer at the hospital,  
Mizuno Ami. And the woman to Ami's right is Tsukino Usagi, also a  
volunteer."  
  
Silence. The young girl just didn't care.  
  
"Um...miss. Would you like to go outside? There is a  
full moon out tonight. It should be quite lovely," Ami asked.  
  
No response. The young girl just stayed mute and  
continued to stare at the wall.  
  
Dr. Mizuno was going to suggest something else when  
Usagi gently pulled on the doctor's sleeve. Surprised, Dr.  
Mizuno and the rest of the group followed Usagi outside.  
  
"She's in shock right now. She won't respond to any  
attempts to cheer her up at this moment." Usagi contemplated as  
to what would be the best course of action. "Let's leave her  
alone for tonight. When I come in tomorrow, Ami-chan and I will  
try to cheer her up. While I'm at work, Ami-chan can try without  
me."  
  
The other three women agreed to Usagi's plan and began  
to leave. Noticing that Usagi was missing, Ami turned back toward  
the hospital room. Looking through the open door, Ami saw that  
Usagi had gone back to tuck the child in. Although the girl was  
still staring into space, Usagi managed to get the child to lie  
under the covers. Gently tucking her in, Usagi ran a soft hand  
over the child's bandaged forehead.  
  
"Sleep well, little one." Usagi whispered as she turned  
off the hospital lights and closed the door. Unbeknownst to her  
or Ami, the little girl turned her head towards the closed door  
and whispered, "Arigato," as tears flowed from her eyes.  
  
Even though Ami knew that Usagi had made some progress  
with the child, she was even more discouraged than before in  
regards to Usagi's condition. When Usagi tucked the girl in, Ami  
could see a flash of pain race across Usagi's delicate features.  
  
'Such painful memories. I don't know how Usagi-chan will  
survive. Somehow, I don't think she can...' thought Ami as she and  
Usagi silently left the hospital.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
You must be bored with me by now. Nothing much to say  
except I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions you  
have sent me =) Arigato gozaimasu, minna-chan. Any questions  
about the tiny smattering of Japanese that I included should  
be sent to me.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	6. A Pink Haired Mamoru?

*Disclaimer: The day I own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, I'll be on  
a trip around the world. But, the fact that I'm still here,  
sitting in front of my computer screen, should be ample proof that  
I don't own BSSM.   
  
The small incident with the other voices was inspired by Iris's  
"The Big Question".  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 5: A Pink Haired Mamoru?  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
The next day, Mamoru went to work at the hospital, with  
no major mishaps. As usual, Dr. Hongo was very critical of his  
performance, but Mamoru dealt with her criticism and even began to  
ignore her stinging comments. He completed his morning rounds and  
returned to his office to fill out some paperwork. All in all, it  
looked to be a very uneventful day for him.  
  
At least, that's how it should have been.  
  
Completely engrossed in his work, Mamoru didn't notice when  
the door to his office opened slightly and then closed again. He  
was too busy staring at the computer he was typing a medical report  
on to realize that someone had just slipped into his office and was  
now hiding under his desk. Frustrated, Mamoru took off his reading  
glasses and stretched his arms over his head. Sighing deeply,  
Mamoru stretched his long legs out under his desk.  
  
Or, he tried to stretch out.  
  
Something bit Mamoru in the shin, hard. "ITAI!" Mamoru  
yelled as he jumped up from his chair. "What the hell was that?"  
Crouching in front of his desk, Mamoru cautiously peered into  
the darkness. At first, Mamoru didn't see anything under his desk  
that could have inflicted such pain on his leg. Mamoru looked  
again. This time, his sapphire eyes met with a pair of ruby ones.  
  
"Nani? Who in the world are you?" questioned Mamoru.  
  
The ruby eyes just narrowed and glared at him.  
  
"Mo, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want you to come out  
from under my desk." Mamoru extended his hand toward the pair of  
eyes in a gesture of goodwill.  
  
"ITAI! OH #*%#! You bit me, AGAIN!" yelled Mamoru as he  
now cradled his poor abused hand. The ruby eyes glinted at him,  
devilishly. "Ok, you...if you don't want to come out then I'll  
make you come out." The pair of eyes widened in fear as Mamoru  
began to crawl under his desk. But before Mamoru could make good  
on his threat, the door to his office suddenly opened.  
  
"Ano, gomen nasai for not knocking..." a female voice  
could be heard saying.  
  
*THUMP* "#&@^! *#&$&^! My @#&#^@# head!" Startled by the  
woman's sudden entrance, Mamoru had bumped his head against his  
desk. Painfully, Mamoru got up from the floor and stood to glare  
at whoever had almost given him a concussion. "What the hell is  
it now?" Mamoru hollered as he glared at the poor woman.  
  
Mizuno Ami's blue eyes were wide with surprise. "Chiba-san  
gomen nasai for startling you, demo I hardly think that it was a  
just cause for the display of language I just witnessed." Ami  
frowned a bit. "A doctor's behavior reflects the hospital as well  
as him or herself and I don't believe that the hospital would  
appreciate having it's reputation tarnished by such language."  
  
Mamoru rubbed the huge bump on his head. "Gomen nasai..."  
Suddenly, a spark of recognition hit him. "Ami-san! I didn't know  
that you worked here at the hospital." exclaimed Mamoru in  
surprise.  
  
Ami's face returned to it's normally calm state and a  
small smile worked it's way onto her face. "Hai, Chiba-san. I'm  
assisting my mother around the hospital after class."  
  
Mamoru smiled in return as he stopped rubbing his head.  
"It's nice to see you again after so many years," said Mamoru as  
he extended his hand (the one that hadn't been bitten) in the  
Western style of greeting.  
  
Shaking his hand, Ami continued on her previous train of  
thought. "It's nice seeing you too, Chiba-san. Gomen nasai. I'd  
love to find out how you've been all these years, demo I was  
hoping that you could help me. I'm looking for an escaped patient."  
  
Smiling wryly, Mamoru pointed to his desk. "As you can see,  
prior to your arrival, I was looking to relieve myself of a small  
perpetrator that has somehow sneaked into my office. Since you are  
looking for an escapee, I believe our needs are mutual. Perhaps we  
can help each other out. I'll get rid of my unwanted guest and  
you'll get your patient back. It's a win-win situation."  
  
Giggling over the absurdity of the situation, Ami made her  
way over to the desk. In her gentle, soothing voice, Ami tried to  
coax the runaway patient. "There you are. Why did you run away from  
your hospital room? You had us all worri--ITAI! Oh #&^@!" Clutching  
her hand, Ami backed away from the desk.  
  
Chuckling, Mamoru lifted his hand, with bite marks still  
visible, for Ami to see. "I should have warned you. The little  
thing loves to bite. Perhaps you should call hospital security. I  
don't think anyone is going to get that person out without a fight."  
  
Still rubbing her throbbing hand, Ami shook her head. "Iie.  
Chiba-san, she's only a little girl. Don't you think security is a  
bit too much?"  
  
Mamoru grimaced. "A little girl? I do believe that this  
_little_ girl could handle an entire army all by herself. She has  
quite a strong set of jaws. She'd put a shark to shame."  
  
"Chiba-san!" Ami was shocked. "No matter what she has done,  
she doesn't deserve your teasing. She's still a little girl, no  
matter how well she bites us," Ami admonished.  
  
Irritatedly waving his hand in response to Ami's reproach,  
Mamoru looked intently at the desk. "No matter. It is very clear  
that the child will not come out by her own free will. What would  
you suggest, Juuban no Genius?"  
  
Flushing to the roots of her blue hair, Ami looked down at  
the floor. No matter how many years had passed, Ami still was  
ashamed every time that despised nickname came up. She never wanted  
to be different. Ami just put her efforts into her studies while  
others put it into other pursuits. But no matter how friendly Ami  
was, the other children would always look at her with hate filled  
eyes. They envied her grades and wealth and would forever think of  
her as a spoiled bookworm. Ami never had a friend until Usagi came  
into her life. Usagi was Ami's first and best friend. Despite  
Usagi's initial shortcomings in the academic field, she never  
resented Ami's accomplishments. If anything, Usagi was even more  
proud of Ami's awards than Ami's okaa-san.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Chiba-san, demo a nurse told me that I could  
find Ami-chan in here..." Usagi's voice trailed off when she  
entered the office and saw Mamoru still staring at the his desk.  
Usagi turned her head and caught sight of Ami's tears hitting the  
floor. "Ami-chan! Daijobu? What happened in here?" Usagi's voice  
became angrier by the millisecond. Then, glancing at Ami again,  
Usagi's tone softened. As she gathered Ami in her arms, Usagi  
sent an icy glare towards Mamoru. "Chiba-san, I demand that you  
tell me what happened that would make Ami-chan cry."  
  
Mamoru looked at Ami and Usagi in shock. "Nani? How would  
I know? I asked Ami-san here how to get the child under my desk  
out without the risk of being bitten again. The next thing I know,  
you came into my office and Ami-san was crying."  
  
"Chiba-san, you must have done something..." Usagi's  
accusation died when Ami took her face away from Usagi's shoulder.  
Even though tears still sparkled in Ami's watery blue eyes, she  
smiled weakly for her protective friend.  
  
"Daijobu, Usagi-chan. He didn't know. It's not his fault."  
Usagi handed Ami a handkerchief and Ami dabbed her eyes dry. "You  
know how I react when someone calls me 'Juuban no Genius'. I  
really shouldn't have overreacted."  
  
Usagi sighed. "Ami-chan, it's ok. The scars are still  
there. They'll always be there. But there is no crime in being  
smart. You'll always have friends, Ami-chan." Usagi hugged her  
now grinning friend. "Now, Ami-chan. I heard that a certain patient  
has been playing hide-and-seek with the hospital staff. Dr.  
Mizuno wants the patient back into her bed as soon as possible."  
  
Mamoru threw his hands up in frustration. "Usagi-san, it's  
one thing to say but it's another thing to do. The child in there  
is a monster. Both Ami-san and I have tried to get her out of  
there and nothing has worked."  
  
Usagi scowled at Mamoru. "Don't call her a monster. You  
don't even know her. She might have been really scared when two  
big adults started coming after her. Don't judge her so quickly."  
With that, Usagi sat down in front of the desk. Ami, confident  
that Usagi would somehow be victorious, and Mamoru, waiting for  
Usagi to be bitten as he and Ami had been, watched Usagi intently.  
  
"Konnichiwa, little one." Usagi peered into the murky  
depths underneath Mamoru's desk. "It's such a nice day today.  
Why are you hiding under a desk? Why don't you come out and I'll  
take you out for a stroll on the hospital grounds? Does that  
sound good to you?" Usagi, unlike her two predecessors, had yet  
to physically approach the frightened girl.  
  
The office was eerily silent as all three adults waited,  
with baited breath, for the child to respond. The tension was  
mounting in the room. In a voice so soft that one almost couldn't  
make out the sound at all, the child finally spoke. "It's you.  
The nice lady from yesterday."  
  
Usagi smiled gently. "Hai, little one. I'm glad that you  
remember me. Now, since we're not strangers, how about you tell me  
why you're hiding under a desk?"  
  
The girl's scowl was evident even in her voice. "I don't  
like being here. The nurses are so fake and the doctors don't care  
about me either. I didn't want to deal with their poking and  
prodding any longer. So I left. But then, those nosy nurses  
started yelling about how I was missing. They sounded really mad.  
I thought I was going to be punished so I ran and hid in this  
office. But then, that mean man started to shove his big feet in  
my face." Usagi shot Mamoru a look as he started to sputter in  
protest and he quickly shut his mouth. Satisfied, Usagi turned to  
face the desk's occupant once again.  
  
The whole exchange did not escape the notice of the girl.  
Slowly, her pink head emerged from beneath the desk. Mamoru was  
surprised at Usagi's quick ability to bond to the little hellion  
while Ami was pleased that Usagi once again proved her amazing  
people skills. However, both were completely caught unaware when  
the girl turned her ruby eyes upon Mamoru, pulled down her eyelid  
with one short, stubby finger, and stuck her tongue out at him.  
Dumbstruck, Ami and Mamoru watched as the little girl then sat  
down in Usagi's lap and wrapped her short arms around Usagi's  
neck. "I didn't want him to smoosh me so I bit him in self  
defiance." The girl then looked at Usagi, unsure if she used the  
right word.  
  
Usagi smoothed the girl's long hair. "That's a good try,  
little one, but the correct word is defense. But that's not  
important. Continue your story."  
  
Smiling, the girl picked up where she left off. "That mean  
guy jumped up and started yelling at me. I got scared again. He  
stuck one of his big hands in my face, trying to get me out and so  
I bit him again. He started yelling even more and threatened me.  
Then that nice blue-haired lady from yesterday tried to get me  
out, but I was so scared that she would turn me over to that guy  
so..."  
  
"You bit her?" Usagi interrupted. The girl nodded her head  
as she curled up in Usagi's lap. Usagi gently rocked the girl.  
  
"I didn't want to hurt her, but I was so scared. I'm  
sorry that I hurt them...well, I'm sorry that I hurt the lady. I'm  
not sorry that I hurt that man because he called me names." Usagi  
shot another deadly glare at Mamoru. Sweatdropping, Mamoru could  
only rub the back of his head as he looked down on the ground in  
embarrassment.  
  
Ami slowly walked over toward the two girls on the floor.  
She knelt until she was eye level with the small girl and waited  
until she lifter her eyes to meet Ami's. "Apology accepted, little  
one. I'm sorry that I scared you. I should have figured out that  
you were very frightened." Ami slowly extended her hand toward the  
girl. "Friends?" Ami asked.  
  
Looking at her hand suspiciously, the girl turned to see  
what Usagi would say. The blonde just smiled at the girl and  
nodded. Turning to face Ami again, the girl took the proffered  
hand and shook it firmly. "Friends."  
  
Reluctantly, Mamoru also went toward the girl. Unwillingly,  
Mamoru apologized. "Look, kid. I'm sorry that I scared you. Can  
we forget about it?" Ruby eyes bored into Mamoru's soul.  
  
"No. You don't mean a single word you just said."  
  
Angered, Mamoru stood up. "Fine. No matter. Ami-san,  
Usagi-san, gomen, demo I have reports to write and patients to see.  
Would you please leave? And please take the little nuisance with  
you. I'd hate to accidentally smash her."  
  
Usagi gently detached the girl's arms from her neck.  
"Little one, go with Ami-chan. She'll take you back to your room  
and get you changed so that we can go outside. I'm going to have  
a little _chat_ with Chiba-san here." Nodding, the girl grabbed  
Ami's hand and skipped along Ami's side as the two started to  
leave Mamoru's office. Just before Ami stepped out of the office,  
she turned to look at the fuming pair. "Usagi-chan, please don't  
kill him. He's still human here and you two just got to be friends.  
Chiba-san, as one future doctor to another, don't let Usagi-chan  
near any sharp implements right now. Otherwise, you can expect  
never to have any children in the future." Mamoru paled. With that  
said, Ami closed the door to the office. To Mamoru, it sounded as  
if the gates of Hell had just closed and locked him in.  
  
Usagi's normally deep blue eyes had darkened to a stormy  
color. Mamoru could have sworn that lightening was zipping across  
her pupils. He gulped. Mamoru had witnessed Usagi's rampages  
before, but that was years before. Back then, Mamoru's superior  
physical built kept him from harm. However, Usagi was now older,  
taller and stronger. And angrier, Mamoru decided after studying  
Usagi's quivering back. Mamoru decided to heed Ami's advice and  
began to frantically search for any sharp implements that Usagi  
could use as a weapon.  
  
"Chiba-san," began Usagi in an arctic voice. "You might be  
my friend now, but I will not allow anyone, not even a friend,  
harass a child. I warned you, you don't know anything about the  
child. How could you call her names? Do you not realize how much  
it hurts to be insulted in such a manner? Why couldn't you be  
nice to her. The poor child has lost her parents and any  
recollection of them. Surely it wouldn't kill you to be nice for a  
change." Usagi turned quickly on her heel and left Mamoru's office.  
  
'Mamoru-baka.' sighed the Voice. 'Honto Mamoru-baka.'  
  
"What did I do now?" protested Mamoru.  
  
'It wouldn't have killed you to be nice to the child,'  
chided Self-Control. The Voice mentally nodded in agreement.  
  
"WHAT?!?! You two are in this together?" Mamoru was  
flabbergasted.  
  
'Not just them two,' chorused all the other facets of  
Mamoru's mind. Pity sobbed quietly and reproached Mamoru. 'Couldn't  
you have been nicer to her? You went through the same thing as a  
child. You know how it feels. Be her friend.' Guilt started to  
pluck at Mamoru's heart strings. 'You know, that child was not a  
hellion as you so eloquently put it. She's a lot like you when you  
were put into the orphanage. Just as cold and just as tough. She's  
all alone Mamoru. Be nice.'  
  
Mamoru scoffed. "She's not alone. She has Usagi-san with  
her."  
  
Suddenly, Lust came into view. 'USAGI!! Hubba hubba! What  
are we still doing here? Let's go get her! AAAWWOOOO!!!' *SMACK*  
Self-Control smacked Lust upside the head. 'Shut up,' Decorum  
said, disgusted.  
  
Mentally sighing in relief, Mamoru stood up. "Now, time for  
me to finish up my medical reports and..."  
  
'NO!!' screamed every part of Mamoru's mind.  
  
Wincing, Mamoru admitted defeat. "Ok, I'll go to the girl  
and apologize. But tell me, you guys really want me to apologize  
to the girl or see Usagi?"  
  
Startled, the other voices of Mamoru's mind began to  
sputter a multitude of half-baked excuses. 'Um, I have to go now.  
Gotta soufflé in the oven...' 'Oh dear, look at the time...' 'I  
think I hear my mom calling...' *POOF* Mamoru's mind returned to  
it's previous peace. Mamoru triumphantly grinned. "I guess I don't  
have to see Usagi after all."  
  
*POW* Mamoru was mentally punched. The Voice held up his  
non-existent fist menacingly. 'WHAT WAS THAT?' the Voice growled.  
  
"Heh heh...just kidding?"  
  
'Thought so. Get your lousy butt in gear.' Sighing again,  
Mamoru headed toward the nurses station to find out where the  
little girl had been placed. Armed with his information, Mamoru  
strode toward the girl's hospital room. Slowing his pace as he  
neared the semi-open door, Mamoru thought about what he should  
say to the child.  
  
'The girl's story...it's so close to my own life story.  
But what can I tell her that will help ease her pain at this point  
in her life?' Mamoru sat down in a chair just outside the girl's  
hospital room. 'The one thing that saved me from the pain of the  
amnesia was my little golden savior. Surely such an event won't  
be repeated in her life. That would be a miracle.' Shaking his  
head, Mamoru was deep in thought, never hearing the conversation  
that was occurring in the room.  
  
"Tired, little one?" Usagi could be heard asking.  
  
Yawning, the small child looked at Usagi and Ami with  
sleepy eyes. "Iie. I want to go outside, like you promised me."  
  
Ami shook her head ruefully. "Gomen nasai, little one.  
Demo you look like you couldn't keep your eyes open for another  
minute."  
  
Stifling another yawn, the girl continued to wheedle the  
two adults. "I'm not tired. I really want to go outside and spend  
time with Usagi-san and Ami-san." But, before the girl could  
continue her argument, a huge yawn took control of her mouth.  
  
Smiling, Usagi patted the top of the girl's pink head.  
"Gomen nasai, demo I think that Ami-chan is right this time. Oh,  
I would be very happy if you called me Usagi-onee-chan. Everyone  
at the hospital calls me by that name."  
  
"Usagi-onee-chan." The girl then turned her gaze onto Ami.  
"Ami-onee-chan?"  
  
Ami gave the child a small hug. "Hai, if you wish." The  
girl nodded. "If I promise you that tomorrow both Usagi-chan and  
I take you outside into the gardens, will you take a nap?"  
Carefully, the child weighed the pros and cons and slowly, nodded  
in agreement. Gently, Ami picked up the girl and laid her on the  
bed. Both Usagi and Ami took a seat on each side of the bed.  
  
After tucking the girl in carefully, Usagi returned to  
her seat. "Would you like to hear a story then, since you won't  
be able to go outside?" Enthusiastically, the girl nodded yes.  
Clearing her throat, Usagi began her tale...  
  
"When I was three years old, my imouto was born. When my  
father and I went to visit him, I met a little boy just a little  
younger than you are now. Just like you, he had lost his parents  
to an unfortunate accident."  
  
(A.N. Please read Chapter 3 if you want to see the hospital scene  
between the younger Mamoru and Usagi. Usagi has already told the  
majority of the story.)  
  
"Before I left, I said, 'You're never alone. You'll  
always have me as your family.'" With those words, Mamoru's train  
of thought was broken.  
  
"Masaka..." Mamoru whispered as he peered into the  
hospital room. Usagi's back was to him and all three occupants  
were too preoccupied with the story to notice that Mamoru was  
now spying on them..or rather, staring at one of them.  
  
Mamoru took in a deep lungful of air. 'Those are the very  
same innocent blue eyes that twinkled with a hidden joy. She even  
has exact same hair style, even after so many years. My Odango  
Atama is also the golden savior of my childhood...' he realized.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Arigato gozaimasu to Iris for allowing me to use her idea  
and to Sakura Girl for informing me of which fanfic it was that  
actually inspired me.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	7. Omoide Ga Ippai...

*Disclaimer: WAHOO! I have housing. It's soooo pretty. Wood  
floors, big windows, great view of San Francisco... ::stares  
at screen with stars in her eyes:: *_* Oh yeah, by the way, I  
still don't own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 6: Omoide Ga Ippai...  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
None of the room's occupants noticed when Mamoru slowly  
stumbled through the doorway and began to stare at Usagi.  
  
"What happened then, Usagi-onee-chan?" asked the pink  
haired child. "Did you two become best friends?"  
  
Usagi shook her head sadly. "Iie. The next day, when I  
went back to the hospital to pick up my okaa-san, I wanted to  
go see the little boy and introduce him to my okaa-san and otou-  
san. Demo when I found his room again, his bed was empty.  
Crying, I asked my okaa-san's nurse what happened to my onii-san.  
He had no clue to what I was saying because, to his knowledge, I  
didn't have any older siblings. When I stopped sobbing long  
enough to point to the bed, the nurse nodded in sympathy. He  
told me that the little boy had left already. I never found  
him again."  
  
"Iie," a deep voice, choked with emotion, said.  
Startled, three heads turned toward Mamoru. Ami and Usagi both  
gasped. In all the years the two women had known Mamoru, never  
had either of them seen his feelings written so clearly. His  
blue eyes had darkened with pain and haunting memories. His arms  
were at his sides with his fists clenched so tightly that Usagi  
noticed his knuckles had turned white.  
  
"Nani, Chiba-san?" Ami asked, concerned over Mamoru's  
outburst and sudden emotional display. "What do you mean, iie?"  
  
Fighting his emotions down, Mamoru tried to answer Ami's  
question. "Iie, Usagi-san. You did find that little boy again."  
  
Furrowing her brow, Usagi shook her head. "Gomen nasai,  
Chiba-san, demo I believe that you are mistaken. I--"  
  
"You were wearing a little purple dress that day, with  
your hair in the exact same style," began Mamoru after taking  
a deep calming breath. "The bouquet was so large that you had  
a hard time taking out a single rose to give to me. I still  
remember how your little face was scrunched in concentration,  
your little pink tongue hanging out of a corner, as you  
wrestled with the bouquet. It's me, Usagi-san. The little boy  
from the hospital."  
  
Usagi leaned back in her chair in mute disbelief. Racking  
her memories, Usagi tried to conjure the image of her onii-san  
again. True, both the boy and Mamoru had the same black hair.  
But Usagi could not be sure on such little information. Usagi  
was all ready to deny Mamoru's claim when Mamoru turned his  
chaotic eyes to look into Usagi's own. She gasped as recognition  
beat her doubts to a pulp. "Onii-san?" she whispered. Rising from  
her chair on shaky legs, Usagi slowly made her way toward Mamoru.  
"You ARE the boy from the hospital! I'm so happy to have found you  
again." Usagi launched herself into Mamoru's arms, giving him a  
lung-popping hug. However, Usagi's happiness quickly turned into  
guilt. "Gomen nasai, honto ne gomen nasai. I didn't keep my promise.  
I should have looked harder for you. I promised that I would  
always be your family. But instead, I left you alone. I lied to  
you. Gomen nasai...gomen nasai..."  
  
Gently, Mamoru unwrapped Usagi's arms and held her away  
from his body so he could look into her eyes. "Iie. You kept your  
promise Odango Atama. Ano...Usagi-san?" Mamoru glanced at the two  
pairs of eyes that were avidly watching the little drama unfold  
before them. "Usagi-san, could we go somewhere more private?  
Say, my office? I think that we have some catching up to do."  
Nodding her head in agreement, Usagi walked out of the little  
girl's room. Before Mamoru left, he turned to look at Ami's  
bewildered expression and the child's sad one. When the girl  
realized that Usagi had left and Mamoru was looking at her, her  
sadness melted away and anger quickly replaced it.  
  
'HOW DARE HE?!' she thought vehemently. 'Usagi-onee-chan  
is my friend. She came here to spend time with me. Then all of  
a sudden this guy comes waltzing in, trying to take my onee-chan  
away. Well, we'll see who will win in the end.'  
  
Mamoru recognized the sudden glare in the child's eyes.  
Somehow, he had just been challenged and now this girl was  
determined to make his life miserable. Shaking his head again,  
Mamoru turned to look at Ami. "Ami-san. Gomen nasai for stealing  
Usagi-san. I believe that you can handle this patient by yourself."  
Turning away from the two, Mamoru headed toward his office.  
  
Ami looked at the young girl in the bed. 'Wow. She looks  
furious.' Clearing her throat to get the child's attention, she  
attempted to calm the girl down. "That certainly was a surprise."  
  
"Hai." nodded the girl. 'A very unpleasant one.'  
  
*Meanwhile*  
  
Usagi waited for Mamoru in front of his office door. Her  
head was hung in sadness as she berated herself for breaking her  
promise.  
  
'Baka-Usagi. A child. He was a small child who had just  
lost his parents. It seemed as if everyone had abandoned him and  
you went ahead and made it worse. How could you? You promised him  
to be there for him and you left. I wouldn't be surprised if he  
hated me.' Usagi continued to chastise herself, even though Mamoru  
had appeared, opened the door to his office, and ushered Usagi  
inside. Usagi sat in the chair that Mamoru directed her to as  
Mamoru took his seat behind his desk. Both adults were unsure of  
how to proceed. As the silence continued, Usagi and Mamoru's  
thoughts were running at lightning speed.  
  
'Tsukino Usagi. She is the tenshi that saved me from Dr.  
Hongo. But she's also the golden child from the hospital. How  
ironic. I wished so hard in the orphanage that I would see my  
golden haired friend again. But when I saw her again, I insulted  
her. Was it Fate that caused Usagi's test paper to land on my head?'  
Mamoru mentally snorted. 'Fate is a bunch of nonsense. It was mere  
coincidence. Still...' Looking up, Mamoru saw that Usagi was on  
the verge of tears, still feeling guilty for breaking her promise.  
'Kami-sama. She feels so guilty for something that she had  
absolutely no control over.'  
  
'Then talk to her, baka!' yelled the Voice. 'Hold her,  
comfort her, kiss her, tell her you lov-'  
  
Clearing his throat nervously, Mamoru tried to think of the  
best thing to say to Usagi. "Ano..." At the sound of his voice,  
Usagi's bowed head flew up and Mamoru could see all of her emotions  
clearly reflected in her eyes: self-loathing, fear, and remorse.  
  
"Chiba-san, I know you have every right to hate me. Demo I  
hope that you won't object to me continuing my work with Nanami.  
Of course I will be sure to stay out of your wa-"  
  
"Chotto matte, Usagi-san. Why would you think that I hate  
you?" interrupted Mamoru.  
  
Usagi looked back down on the ground. "Chiba-san, how could  
you not? You were completely alone when we met. There you were,  
feeling betrayed by everyone. Your parents had just abandoned you  
to the world. The doctors around you didn't care about you, only  
saw you as a burden. No one at the hospital saw you as a person.  
They only saw a burden that they would be happy to see shipped off  
to the hospital. And there was me. I promised you that I would be  
your family. But I never kept my promise. I betrayed you when you  
were most vulnerable, Chiba-san." Her voice trailing off, Usagi  
wrung her hands in her lap as a stream of tears began to flow  
down her face.  
  
Stunned, Mamoru quickly went to Usagi's side. Holding her  
in his warm embrace, Mamoru let Usagi cry for a few moments before  
speaking. "Iie, Usagi-san, it is I who betrayed you. Do you know  
how much your visit changed my life?" Usagi shook her head, which  
was still buried in Mamoru's shoulder. "Usagi-san..." Mamoru took  
a deep breath, "...before I met you, I was angry, frightened and  
lonely. Even though I had no memory what so ever of my parents,  
even though I knew that I must have loved them and they must have  
loved me..." Mamoru paused. He had never told anyone of these  
feelings, not even Motoki. But one look at the girl in his arms,  
Mamoru knew that he could tell Usagi anything and everything.  
"...I still blamed them for dying." Mamoru could hear Usagi gasp  
when she heard that but Mamoru knew that if he saw the feelings  
swimming in her deep blue eyes, he would break down, then and  
there. So Mamoru just clasped Usagi to him even tighter than  
before. "I hated the doctors, Usagi-san. They patted themselves  
on the back for being able to save me. They acted as if I should  
be thanking them for saving my life. Even though I am grateful  
now, back then I hated them. Hated their smugness, their  
assumptions about me. I wanted to die, not live. I wanted to be  
with the parents that I had lost every memory of. Without them,  
without even a memory of them, what did I have to live for? Those  
things that you said, about being abandoned and being thought of  
as a burden are true, Usagi-san. Even though you were such a  
little girl, you could understand people's feelings perfectly. How  
that is possible is beyond me. Demo, you have one thing wrong."  
Mamoru began to run his fingers through Usagi's long, silky blond  
hair.  
  
*Sigh* 'So soft...so long...so beautiful...so perfect...'  
the Voice sat in the corner with hearts in it's eyes. 'She's so  
kawaii. Kiss her NOW!!'  
  
*BAM* Temporary truce over, Self-Control punched the  
Voice in the nose. 'Even though I want to kiss her as well, it's  
not the right time.' With a resigned sigh, Self-Control dragged  
the Voice's unconscious body off into a dark corner of Mamoru's  
mind.  
  
Her voice muffled from being crushed against Mamoru's  
shoulder, Usagi could be barely heard saying, "Nani?"  
  
A small smile flittered across Mamoru's face. "When my  
little golden haired tenshi entered my life, everything changed  
in an instant. Within ten minutes, Usagi-san, you chased away  
the demons and shadows in my life. You made me want to live  
again. Even though I never got to see you again, knowing that  
there was someone outside of the orphanage that truly loved  
me and accepted me as a part of their family gave me comfort  
during those cold and desolate nights. As I watched child after  
child get adopted and leave the orphanage, I knew that it didn't  
matter. I already had a family with you." And with that, Mamoru  
kissed the top of Usagi's head.  
  
Groaning with both pain and disappointment, the Voice  
miraculously reappeared, center stage. 'That was her head, you  
baka. THE LIPS!!! I WANTED YOU TO KISS HER ON THE LIPS!!!'  
Self-Control merely shook it's head since it's own desire would  
have been a kiss on the lips, not the head.  
  
Finally, sobs having long since subsided, Usagi lifted  
her head from Mamoru's wet shoulder only to gently place it near  
his neck as she enfolded Mamoru in a warm hug. Mamoru could  
feel Usagi's breath on his neck and he suppressed a shudder.  
  
'She's so close. I've never felt this way before. Only  
Usagi-chan has ever been able to make my heart race and my blood  
boil. Is this love? Do I finally love someone?' Mamoru thought.  
Usagi sighed in Mamoru's embrace. Mamoru could feel her, the way  
her chest moved up and down as she breathed raggedly, her  
fingers as they lightly gripped his lab coat, the way her hair  
caressed his cheek and cascaded against his arm that held her to  
him. Every nerve in Mamoru's body was working overtime in order  
to store every precious memory in his mind. Never had Mamoru  
held another person so closely. At least, never with such a  
reaction. But before the wonderful moment could fully process  
itself in Mamoru's mind, Usagi pulled away.  
  
On the verge of tears, the Voice fell to the "ground"  
in despair. 'So close...so close and we could have tasted her  
sweet kiss. WWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!'  
  
Self-Control, despite it's seemingly uncaring  
appearance, was deeply disappointed as well. 'Oh well, almost.'  
Covering it's ears due to the Voice's cries, which closely  
rivaled Usagi's own wails, Self-Control merely faded into the  
background.  
  
"Arigato, Chiba-san for trying to comfort me. Demo I  
saw how you were when we met. If my leaving didn't affect you  
negatively, then why were you so cold to everyone? Even now,  
you don't let anyone near you." Mamoru stiffened at Usagi's  
last question and Usagi immediately grew apologetic. "Gomen  
nasai, Chiba-san. I should not be taking such liberties. I  
have over stepped my bounds. Please, forgive me." Usagi made  
a move as if to stand up and leave Mamoru's office, but with  
a gentle tug from Mamoru's arms, Usagi fell back into her  
chair.  
  
"Iie, Usagi-san. I am not mad. You have every right  
to ask me that. I was merely caught off guard again by your  
amazing ability to read people, demo I suppose I should be  
getting used to it now." Mamoru fidgeted as he tried to find  
a way to best explain his past behavior to her.  
  
"Chiba-san, you do not have to tell me anything that  
you do not want to. I understand if this is something that  
you are not quite ready to share yet." Usagi's slender fingers  
slowly lifted Mamoru's chin up so that he would look her in  
the eye. "Sometimes even friends can not share everything."  
  
Mamoru shook his head. "Iie, Usagi-san. It's about  
time that I explain my behavior to you. After the whole  
hospital ordeal, I was sent to an orphanage. There, none of  
the children wanted to play with me because when I came in,  
the caretakers had to pay extra attention to my injuries.  
They were jealous because time with the caretakers is very  
precious to an orphan. So they envied me and shunned me. When  
I got better, the caretakers treated me as they did every other  
child, but the damage was done. No one wanted to be my friend.  
Always, when I tried to join a game, the other children would  
walk away, ignoring me. So, I stopped trying to make friends.  
I became angry and quiet, keeping to myself most of the time.  
It didn't help that none of the adults coming in to adopt a  
child never gave me a second look. Once they found out that I  
had amnesia, they avoided me like the plague. Some of them  
even looked at me as if I was defective." Mamoru looked closely  
at Usagi's reaction. But instead of the pity that he expected,  
Usagi seemed to be sympathetic and even genuinely distressed  
about his plight. She sat in rapt attention in her chair, her  
eyes urging Mamoru to continue with his story. Unconsciously,  
Mamoru took Usagi's hand in his own, drawing strength from her  
kindness.  
  
"As I got older, the other children had been adopted  
and new children came in. Demo by then, I was too hardhearted  
to even try to make friends. Some of the older girls began to  
try to catch my attention demo I never was nice to them. After  
a few tries, they would give up and move on. Nobody knew me as  
a person and no one understood my feelings. At least, no one  
at the orphanage. Sometimes, during sleepless nights, when I  
could see the moon from the window, I would remember you, my  
only friend. I often wondered how you were. Were you happy?  
Sad? How much had you grown? How were your studies? Were you  
happy with your imouto? I would always smile at the moon and  
send a special thanks to you, hoping that you knew how much I  
liked your gift." Usagi smiled at this as she gave Mamoru's  
hand a quick squeeze.  
  
"I did, Chiba-san. Somehow, I think I knew."  
  
Mamoru brushed a stray hair from Usagi's face and  
tucked it behind her ear. "Mamoru, Usagi-san. Call me Mamoru."  
  
Usagi giggled. "Only if you call me Usagi-chan,  
Mamoru-kun."  
  
Mamoru beamed. "Hai, Usagi-chan. Where was I? Oh, well  
I finally turned 15. By that time, I had a steady job and was  
attending Azabu High School. The caretakers, knowing that I  
was unadoptable, let me go off on my own early, at my own  
insistence. The trust fund set up for me by strangers when they  
learned of my situation on television had built up over the  
years and I was able to get a comfortable apartment. After a  
time, I set up a comfortable routine for myself and life was  
uneventful. Until that fateful day when I was struck by a  
certain Odango Atama's test paper and yelled at her."  
  
Usagi blushed. "Gomen nasai, Mamoru-kun. I really  
didn't see you there."  
  
Flashing Usagi his quirky grin to show that he was only  
kidding, Mamoru quickly reassured her. "Don't apologize,  
Usagi-chan. If you didn't hit me with that test paper, I never  
would have found my imouto again."  
  
Usagi's unoccupied hand found it's way to Mamoru's  
cheek. "Then I must tell Haruna-sensei arigato gozaimasu for  
that awful test paper."  
  
At Usagi's touch, Mamoru felt a jolt run through his  
body. To Usagi, this was an innocent gesture, meant to show  
friendship. Normally, had Mamoru's Self-Control been at 100%,  
it would have been an act of friendship to him as well. But  
after repeated battles with the Voice and the outpouring of  
emotion due to the telling of his childhood to Usagi,  
Self-Control was helpless to stop the innocent gesture from  
changing Mamoru's life. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Mamoru  
knew that he loved this woman in front of him. After 26 years  
spent scorning love (ok, only 20 of those he could actually  
remember, but still, it was a long time) Mamoru had finally  
found the woman he could finally give his heart to.  
  
'YAY!! GO ME! GO ME! RAH RAH RAH!!!' the Voice  
commemorated his victory by doing a celebratory dance. 'First,  
the confession, then the kiss, then marriage...'  
  
Self-Control sighed.  
  
Then swung his baseball bat. *CRACK*  
  
And the Voice was out for the count. 'You need to  
take baby steps. If you screw up, Usagi just might leave  
you forever. She's been hurt, somehow, and adding to that  
could destroy any chances that you might have.' Self-Control  
said warningly.  
  
"Ano, Usagi-chan. What about you? Why don't you tell  
me what has happened to you during all these years?" Mamoru  
queried.  
  
Abruptly, Usagi took her hand from Mamoru's cheek and  
looked at her watch. "Gomen nasai, Mamoru-kun demo I told  
Ami-chan that I would meet her for lunch. We've been talking  
for almost an hour now." Extracting herself from Mamoru's  
grasp, Usagi went toward the door.  
  
'What did I do now?' thought Mamoru. "Chotto matte,  
Usagi-chan. Daijobu?" Mamoru stood and strode toward Usagi,  
who had already fled to the door. Putting a hand on her  
shoulder, Mamoru gently pressed Usagi for answers. "Doushita  
ne? Why did that question scare you?"  
  
Slowly Usagi turned to face Mamoru. The pain in Usagi's  
eyes glinted accusingly at Mamoru. "Gomen nasai Mamoru-kun.  
Omoide ga ippai...I can't. You shared with me and it's only  
fair that I tell you demo...I just can't. Yurushite kureru?"  
  
Releasing his hold on her shoulder, Mamoru nodded.  
"Hai, Usagi-chan. Gomen nasai. I shouldn't have pushed you.  
Are we still friends?" Pain fading, Usagi nodded and smiled  
brightly.  
  
"Zettai, Mamoru-kun. Demo in front of patients, you  
are still Chiba-san."  
  
Mamoru grinned. "Hai, Usagi-chan. And you become  
Odango Atama again." Usagi mock-glared. Holding his hands up  
in a gesture of surrender, Mamoru backed away from Usagi.  
"Hai, hai, Usagi-san." Again, another one of Usagi's trademark  
grins was flashed his way. "Mind if I join you two for lunch?"  
Mamoru asked as he opened the door for Usagi.  
  
"I don't mind demo you'll have to ask Ami-chan for  
permission. I don't think she'll object though." Both Usagi  
and Mamoru stepped out into the corridor.  
  
Locking his office door, Mamoru offered Usagi his arm.  
Stunned for a second, Usagi took the proffered arm after  
letting out a small giggle. Thus linked, the couple headed  
toward the hospital cafeteria in companionable silence.  
  
Translations:  
  
ano- um...  
chotto matte- wait a minute  
doushita ne- what's wrong?  
imouto- younger sibling  
omoide ga ippai- so many memories  
yurushite kureru- can you forgive me?  
zettai- absolutely  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Finals are coming up for us Berkeley folk. Gomen  
nasai minna demo I'll be busy during the next three weeks. I  
have to study like mad =( I'll try to write when possible so  
I might be able to get out the next chapter on time...but  
please don't be mad if I can't. Thanks to all the readers out  
there that have kept up with my little story =) I love email.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	8. Doubt Resolved

*Disclaimer: I, Takeuchi Naoko, do hereby bequeath all rights to  
my manga and anime series, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, to the  
author. Hehe...now how's that for a piece of fiction? I don't  
own BSSM. In matter of fact, I don't own anything except my  
imagination.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 7: Doubt Resolved  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
After having lunch with Ami and Usagi, Mamoru completed  
his shift and drove back to his apartment in a mental haze. When  
he finally entered his dark and empty apartment, Mamoru, in a  
manner completely alien to his neat nature, absentmindedly tossed  
his keys and dropped his briefcase onto the floor. Tossing his  
shoes against each other at the entryway, he didn't even bother  
to slip on some slippers but instead, hazily made his way across  
the room and promptly plopped onto his couch.  
  
"Oh Kami-sama. What happened?" Mamoru whispered. "How can  
I love her? I don't have time for such feelings. What have I  
done?" His head dropped into his hands. "Have I made the biggest  
mistake in my life? I don't know anything about her. I don't even  
know if I can trust my feelings for her. How can I all of a  
sudden be in love with her?"  
  
'Oh please. You loved her ever since day one. You were  
just too stubborn to admit it.' retorted the irritated Voice.  
  
'He wasn't ready to admit it yet back then!' answered an  
indignant Self-Control. 'He loved her so much that to trust her  
with his heart would be suicide. What if she rejected him? She  
HATED him. Every time they met, he called her Odango Atama and  
she yelled at him for calling her names. Never had he given her  
any indication that he might have seen her more than a young girl  
to tease. If he had admitted his feelings, she would have thought  
it was a joke. She would have crushed Mamoru in his one moment of  
weakness.'  
  
Clutching his head in despair, Mamoru said yet again,  
"I love her...I love her...Kami-sama, tastukete..."  
  
'Oh please. Usagi, hurt someone? That's impossible.'  
Lifting its chin arrogantly, the Voice gave Self-Control a  
haughty look. 'It's Mamoru-baka's fault for not realizing that  
he felt more for Usagi. He lied to himself about his feelings.  
And who's fault was it that he wasn't ready to admit to his own  
feelings?' The Voice cast a baleful look towards Self-Control.  
  
Self-Control bounded up to the Voice and held up a fist  
menacingly. 'And exactly what are you insinuating?'  
  
"I love her...I love her...Honto ne?"  
  
Snorting, the Voice completely ignored Self-Control's  
threat. 'I'm not insinuating anything. I'm downright saying it.  
If the man had not been so cold and icy, he might have been able  
to learn how to love someone. That way, Usagi would be with us  
right now, soothing Mamoru's fears. Instead, here we are,  
arguing while he sits on the couch, staring at the ground,  
muttering like an baka!'  
  
"I love her...I love her..."  
  
'URUSAI!!!' both Self-Control and the Voice screamed.  
  
Pausing his litany, Mamoru blinked. Then resumed his  
babbling.  
  
'He's got it bad...' said Self-Control with a slight  
shake of it's head.  
  
'Ano...aren't you supposed to be doing something about  
him right now?' queried the Voice. 'You know, make him stop  
mumbling like an crazy man and take some action.'  
  
'Hmph. Me? You were the one to get us into this whole  
mess in the first place. You wanted him to have feelings for  
Usagi. Therefore, it's your fault he lost his mind.'  
Self-Control crossed its arms. 'The question is, what are YOU  
going to do about it?'  
  
The Voice stood in mute contemplation. After a few  
moments, -"I love her...I love her...Kami-sama..." 'URUSAI!!!'-  
the Voice began to grin madly. 'I know exactly what we can do.'  
  
Self-Control groaned. 'You can't do that. It's  
forbidden.'  
  
The Voice's grin slipped a millimeter. 'Then what  
about...'  
  
'Iie. Forbidden.'  
  
'I know!'  
  
'Iie. Forbidden.'  
  
Frustrated, the Voice threw up its hands in defeat.  
'Then tell me, Oh Wise One, what would you propose?' the Voice  
gritted out between clenched teeth.  
  
Trying hard not to let its triumph show too plainly,  
Self-Control turned to look at the holographic projection of  
Mamoru, still sitting on his couch babbling incoherently.  
'First some logical contemplation. From there, I'll see if I  
should allow this nonsense to continue or not.'  
  
Sanity slowly returning, Mamoru tried to analyze his  
feelings. 'When I held her in my arms, it felt so right. But I  
decided long ago not to allow feelings stand in the way of my  
career. What went wrong? Do I really love Usagi?' Old images  
appeared in Mamoru's mind. His surprise when chibi Usagi handed  
him the beautiful red rose, the friendly warmth of her hug, the  
shock that ran through him when she kissed him and how she knew  
exactly how lonely he felt, even though sadness seemed so alien  
to the bouncing beam of sunshine. Another slew of images popped  
into Mamoru's mind of Usagi, flushing in anger, yelling at him,  
ordering him to stop calling her Odango Atama, shooting steam  
out of her ears as she concentrated on beating the Sailor V  
arcade game in frustration, scowling at him, grinning like mad  
at Motoki, drooling with hearts in her eyes at a HUGE chocolate  
sundae and plowing into him at light speed, apologizing  
profusely and then taking off again at superhuman speeds. Even  
now, Usagi made the most compassionate volunteer he had ever  
met. She knew how to handle patients. From the oldest and  
crankiest to the youngest and brattiest, all the patients seem  
to perk up whenever Usagi visited their room. Even the little  
pink haired demon seemed to listen to Usagi. Mamoru smiled at  
his memories. Yes, even back when he first met her, Mamoru  
somehow knew that Usagi would be the girl that would change his  
world. Perhaps that is why he tried so hard to push her away.  
  
'Every time I'm near her, it seems my head falls into  
confusion.' Wearing little halos, the Voice and Self-Control  
smiled innocently at Mamoru. 'I can't help but let my feelings  
get the best of me. Just today I wanted to eat with her and Ami.  
I have never wanted to be with other people before. I have always  
tried to avoid others. But now, Usagi has me wanting to spend  
time with her, to make her smile and laugh. I must be in love  
with her.' Mamoru gave a shaky smile. 'It's real. I do love her.'  
  
Self-Control smiled. 'Mamoru deserves to be in love.  
Perhaps, after all this time, he's finally ready to accept his  
feelings. I won't stop him.'  
  
The Voice laughed. 'Like you can stop him. That man is  
hopelessly in love.' At Self-Control's glare, the Voice hastily  
tried to restore their uneasy truce. 'Gomen, gomen. Who cares  
about details? What matters now is that Mamoru is in love and  
it's time for us to win Usagi's heart.' Self-Control smiled.  
It seemed like the Voice finally learned how to be logical and  
calm. 'And THEN...' the Voice continued with a lecherous smirk,  
'We'll get to kiss her sweet red lips, touch her fair and silky  
skin, and even...'  
  
Self-Control facefaulted. 'Spoke too soon.' As the Voice  
let it's imagination run away, Self-Control was slowly putting  
the Voice into a catapult. 'Again, it's up to me to go ahead  
and keep control around here.'  
  
'We'll spend our honeymoon in Italy, although...hehe...  
I don't think we'll be getting out to see the sights, just the  
inside of the hotel rOOOOMM-'. With that, Self-Control sent the  
Voice flying into the air. With a smiled of satisfaction,  
Self-Control gave a little V-for-victory sign. 'Mission  
accomplished.'  
  
'But I don't think my little Odango knows how I feel.'  
Mamoru sighed. 'First, I need to become Usagi-chan's good  
friend. Then, I will have to...' -big gulp- 'ask her out on a  
date.' Mamoru stood up and walked toward his balcony. Sliding  
open the door, Mamoru leaned on the railing, letting the cool  
breeze play with his midnight tresses. His blue eyes swept over  
the view of nighttime Tokyo without registering anything. The  
sounds of the traffic below faded into the background as Mamoru  
contemplated exactly how he should try to get to know Usagi  
better. The first thing he had to do was to find out what  
happened to Usagi during the years he was at Harvard. What made  
his Odango so sad?  
  
*The Next Day*  
  
That morning, Mamoru worked as quickly as he could  
through his rounds. He had to get in contact with Ami before  
Usagi came or else he would lose his chance to question the  
blue haired young woman in private. Giving the older patient a  
quick bow, Mamoru rushed off to the nurses station in order to  
find Ami. Harassing the staid old nurse until she reluctantly  
gave Mamoru the information he requested, Mamoru began to jog  
toward the pink haired demon's hospital room. Arriving just in  
time to see Ami gently closing the door, Mamoru impatiently  
tapped Ami on the shoulder.  
  
"Ano, Ami-san, gomen nasai for bothering you, demo may  
I speak with you for a moment?"  
  
Shocked that Mamoru voluntarily approached her, Ami  
paused before giving a hesitant nod. "Is there a problem,  
Chiba-san?"  
  
Shaking his head, Mamoru directed Ami toward his office.  
"Iie, Ami-san. I just wanted to...'catch up' on old times. I've  
been gone for so long and I was hoping that you could tell me  
all that has happened during those years I was in America. I  
hope that you don't mind." Mamoru might have been an expert at  
hiding his feelings but even with his expertise, Ami still  
caught his tiny pause.  
  
'Strange...Chiba-san never talked to me about anything  
before. We weren't even close before he left for Harvard. There  
should be no reason why he would want to talk to me. Why does  
he suddenly want to 'catch up'?' Ami sneaked a glance at Mamoru's  
face. 'Odd. He looks so happy now. It's as if he's settled a few  
inner demons. What could have happened in these few days? He's  
been acting strange ever since yesterday when Usagi-chan...'  
Mentally, Ami reeled back. 'Usagi-chan...yesterday...strange...  
Kami-sama! Chiba-san likes Usagi-chan.' Ami's sharp mind  
quickly ran over the recent occurrences between Mamoru and Usagi.  
'Kami-sama...he is in love with her. What shall I do? This can't  
be happening.'  
  
"Ami-san..." Mamoru waved his hand in front of Ami's  
face. "Ami-san, snap out of it."  
  
Startled, Ami reddened. "Gomen nasai, Chiba-san. I  
haven't heard a word that you've said."  
  
Mamoru chuckled. "That's obvious, Ami-san. I called  
your name five times. As I said before, 'We're here.'" said  
Mamoru as he pointed at his office door. "You must have been  
thinking about something very interesting." Blushing even more,  
Ami entered Mamoru's office and sat gratefully on the chair he  
indicated. When Mamoru sat in his chair and faced Ami, he  
finally noticed that the young woman seemed rather uncomfortable.  
  
"Ami-san, I hope that you are not still angry with me  
for calling you that name. I assure you that I had no idea that  
it would hurt you," sputtered Mamoru as he ran a nervous hand  
though his hair. Even though he finally admitted that he had  
fallen in love, Mamoru still had no clue as to how to talk to a  
woman. Heck, he had no idea how to talk to anyone beyond the  
superficial 'how do you do?'. Again, Mamoru marveled at how  
Usagi seemed to make him calmer, more adept at handling social  
situations (although at first she did infuriate him to no end...  
but let's get back to the sorry, ne?).  
  
Before Mamoru could begin to hyperventilate, Ami spoke.  
"Iie, Chiba-san. You already apologized for that yesterday at  
lunch. You didn't know how I hated that nickname so you were  
not at fault. Let us put that business behind us, shall we?"  
Mamoru returned Ami's warm smile.  
  
"Hai, Ami-san. And please, call me Mamoru. After all,  
we are old acquaintances and this is a private conversation."  
  
Nodding, Ami's face regained it's normal hue. "Hai,  
Mamoru-san. That is true we are old acquaintances. Demo..."  
Ami paused, unsure of how to proceed. "Mamoru-san, I don't  
quite see what things we can 'catch-up' on if we were never  
really close friends before you left for Harvard. Gomen nasai  
if I offend you, demo I must admit that I am at a loss as to  
why you all of a sudden consider us close friends."  
  
Mamoru looked at Ami sheepishly. "I guess I should  
have expected to be caught by you, Ami-san. Hai, I know that  
this turn of events is quite sudden. Demo, my intentions are  
honest. I truly do want to become your friend. As you probably  
know..." Mamoru broke eye contact and began to stare at his  
desk. "I never have had many friends. I've never wanted to  
become close to other people. I don't want to make the same  
mistake again." At this point, Mamoru raised his head to look  
at Ami.  
  
Ami looked into Mamoru's deep blue eyes. In them,  
she could see honesty, loneliness and vulnerability struggle  
against his cold and proud nature. What choice did she have?  
The man deserved to have some friends in his life. And perhaps,  
if Ami became one of his friends, she could stop him from  
making the mistake of falling for Usagi. "Hai, I agree. Friends  
are what make life worth living, Mamoru-san. I'm glad that you  
are willing to count me as one of your friends."  
  
Relaxing, Mamoru gave Ami a relieved smile. "Arigato  
gozaimasu, Ami-san. You don't know what this means to me. So,  
now that we are friends, why don't we catch-up on things?"  
  
Ami grew cautious but steeled her face so as to not  
betray any of her suspicions. "What would you like to talk  
about, Mamoru-san?"  
  
Mamoru nervously rubbed his hands together. 'How do  
I get her to talk about Usagi without blowing my cover?' he  
pondered. "Ano...Ami-san. It seems that you and Usagi-san are  
really good friends. Have you two been friends for long?"  
  
"Hai, Mamoru-san. Ever since middle school."  
  
"Shinji nai? Middle school? That is a long time to be  
friends."  
  
Ami gave a small smile. "Hai, Mamoru-san. I consider  
Usagi-chan to be my best friend."  
  
Mamoru gave an inward cheer. 'Almost there...' "Ano,  
Ami-san, I have noticed that Usagi-san has been rather sad  
lately. Since you consider her your best friend, perhaps you  
would know the cause of her melancholy."  
  
At the mention of Usagi's sadness, Ami's inner resolve  
cracked. "Gomen, Mamoru-san, demo I have no idea what you are  
talking about." Ami could not meet Mamoru's piercing gaze.  
  
"Shinji nai, Ami-san. Gomen nasai, demo I believe that  
you are lying to me." Mamoru leaned forward in his chair.  
"Ami-san, Usagi-san is my friend now. She has done a wonderful  
thing for me and I wish to return that favor by making her  
happy again. Unless I find out the cause of her sadness, I can  
not help her. Onegai, Ami-san, tell me." Mamoru's voice began  
to falter. "As her friend, you must see the deaden look that  
haunts Usagi-san's eyes. Don't you want to help as well?"  
  
Ami's resolve crumbled. She whispered, "Hai, I want  
to help." Her hands balled into fists as she clenched her  
skirt. "Demo I can't. No one can. Me, Naru-chan, Rei-chan,  
Minako-chan, Mako-chan, Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Setsuna-san,  
Hotaru-san...we have all tried. Demo it does not help. It  
is like she is dead. Kami-sama." Ami's voice had risen to a  
scream as tears streamed down her face. Her eyes blazed as she  
looked into Mamoru's startled eyes. "Mamoru-san, do not accuse  
us of not trying. Kami-sama knows that these past years have  
not been easy for Usagi-chan. Demo do not think that we, as her  
friends, have not tried our hardest to help her. Naru-chan has  
spoken for hours with Usagi-chan. Haruka-san and Michiru-san  
took her on a trip through Europe. In her spare time,  
Setsuna-san designed an entire new wardrobe for Usagi-chan.  
Hotaru-san took Usagi on a shopping spree in Beverly Hills in  
the United States. Minako-chan even got Usagi a part in a movie  
filmed in Hollywood. Rei-chan meditated with Usagi for a whole  
week, uninterrupted. Mako-chan cooked all of Usagi-chan's  
favorite foods. I have racked my brain, trying to figure out  
how I can help her. Demo nothing works. Do you know what it  
feels like for the nine of us to watch Usagi-chan slowly slip  
away from us? You could not possibly begin to understand the  
hell that the last four years have been." By this time, Ami  
had jumped out of her seat and slammed her hands on top of  
Mamoru's desk.  
  
Reeling back from the force of Ami's anger, Mamoru  
tried to process what Ami had been saying. "Gomen nasai  
Ami-san for accusing you of not helping Usagi-san out." Ami  
regained her composure and sat back down. "I did not mean to  
anger you demo I wanted to know what has happened to Usagi-san  
so badly that I did not watch my words. Boku o yuruse."  
  
Unclenching her hands, Ami could only stare at the  
floor in her embarrassment. She hardly ever lost her composure  
like that. "Gomen nasai, Mamoru-san. It was my fault for  
yelling at you. I had no right."  
  
Mamoru shook his head in disagreement. "Iie, Ami-san.  
You had every right. Please, don't argue with me." Ami closed  
her mouth in mid-protest. "Now, Ami-san, would you please  
inform me as to why Usagi-san is so unhappy and has been so  
for four years?"  
  
Sighing, Ami slumped in her chair. "Ano...Mamoru-san,  
I do not think that I should be the one to tell you about  
Usagi-chan. Shouldn't you ask Usagi-chan herself?"  
  
This time it was Mamoru's turn to squirm. "Hehe..."  
Mamoru averted his eyes. "I...I asked demo Usagi-san did not  
want to tell me. She said, 'Omoide ga ippai.' Demo, I need to  
know, Ami-san."  
  
Torn, Ami weighed her decision carefully in her mind.  
If she told Mamoru, he might be able to think of a way to  
cheer Usagi up. But if she did tell him, would that not betray  
her friend's feelings? Most likely if Mamoru got involved,  
he might fall deeper for Usagi. But then if Ami did not tell  
him, Mamoru might ask Usagi again, hurting her more. Also, a  
lot of people knew about Usagi's past and Mamoru would be able  
to ask one of them. There really was no point in hiding the  
truth from Mamoru. Ami had reached her decision. Lifting her  
head, Ami gave Mamoru a resolved look. "Hai, Mamoru-san. I  
will tell you all that has happened to Usagi-chan."  
  
Translations:  
  
ano- um...  
kami-sama- God  
tastukete- save me  
honto ne- really?  
urusai- shut up  
shinji nai- I don't believe it  
omoide ga ippai- so many memories  
boku o yuruse- please forgive me  
  
Author Notes:  
  
::bows deeply:: Gomen nasai minna. I'm really sorry  
about the long delay but I had to move out of the dorms and  
into the summer house. And then I had summer school...  
::sniff sniff:: I couldn't go online at the house either  
^_^! But now, I'm back. I'm sure that all of you are so  
very pleased (j/p).  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	9. Memories of the Past...

*Disclaimer: La la la...don't own BSSM...la la la.  
  
*********************************************************  
There really was no point in hiding the truth from Mamoru.  
Ami had reached her decision. Lifting her head, Ami gave  
Mamoru a resolved look. "Hai, Mamoru-san. I will tell you  
all that has happened to Usagi-chan."  
*********************************************************  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 8: Memories of the Past...  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
Ami gently closed the door behind her. Shock,  
disbelief, sorrow...Ami never thought Mamoru would be so  
affected by Usagi's story. It was almost as if he was  
reliving everything, through Usagi's eyes.  
  
As Ami walked down the corridor toward her mother's  
office, she thought, "It is worse than I thought. Mamoru is  
completely in love with Usagi. I am too late. Kami help  
them. Kami help us all."  
  
Inside, at his desk, Mamoru stared blankly at the  
chair Ami had just vacated. His thoughts whirled and spun,  
going so quickly that Mamoru could not think properly.  
There was only one thought that would not leave his mind.  
'Poor Usagi-chan. My poor Usagi-chan.'  
  
Self-Control sighed. No matter how much sympathy  
it might have for Usagi-chan itself, a job is still a job.  
  
'Ano...Mamoru-san.'  
  
No reply.  
  
Clearing its throat, Self-Control tried again.  
'Chiba-san!'  
  
Fleeting thoughts still raced by at mach speed.  
  
'That did it.' Self-Control rolled up its  
invisible sleeves, spit into its hands and slapped them  
together. Beating his fists on Mamoru's mind, Self-Control  
began yelling. 'BAKA!! BAKA!! BAKA!!'  
  
*SCREECH* *CRUNCH* *POP* With a bang, Mamoru's  
thoughts crashed into a jumbled mess.  
  
'NANI?!?!?!?!' roared a voice. 'WHAT THE HELL  
JUST HAPPENED?'  
  
Self-Control winced. 'Uh oh...I got the big guy  
angry.' Instantly, the Voice appeared next to  
Self-Control.  
  
'HAHAHAHA!!! Boy, are you dead meat. You know how  
Order hates when this happens. Once it finds out that you  
are responsible...HAHAHAHA!!!' The Voice began to laugh  
again, rolling on the floor while holding his sides.  
  
Self-Control paled. 'Shimatta.' It furiously  
began to rack its brains for a way out of impending doom.  
But the Voice's piercing laughter kept popping  
Self-Control's thought bubble. Closer and closer, Order's  
heavy footfalls could be heard reverberating throughout  
the mental halls.  
  
'What to do, what to do...' Self-Control looked  
around desperately for a way out. Its gaze traveled from  
the big pile of thoughts to the Voice back to the pile  
then back to the Voice...*DING* A slow grin began to  
spread across Self-Control's face. Some quick work with  
its marker and *PRESTO* Self-Control disappeared just as  
Order made the scene.  
  
'WHO IS THE LITTLE PUNK THAT MADE THIS MESS?!'  
roared the infuriated Order. The Voice quickly stopped  
laughing. While all the facets of Mamoru's mind looked  
like a super-deformed chibi Mamoru, Order was one of the  
few that did not. Well, at least when it was angry. Right  
now, Order had no definite form. It was just a black  
gaseous cloud, its only feature two blazing red eyes.  
'ANSWER ME, WHO CREATED THIS MESS?'  
  
Stammering, the Voice tried to collect its own  
voice. 'Self-Control, Order-sama. It was Self-Control.'  
  
Order turned its eyes of flame toward the Voice.  
'INFIDEL! YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN LIE TO THE ALMIGHTY  
ORDER? YOU SHALL PERISH!'  
  
The Voice felt its stomach drop to the floor.  
'Iie, Order-sama. I swear I speak the truth. Self-Control  
caused this mess.' It dropped to its knees. 'Onegai,  
Order-sama. It was Self-Control.'  
  
Order laughed a horrible laugh. If the Voice was  
not already on its knees, it would have fallen to them at  
the sound. 'SELF-CONTROL? HAHAHAHA!'  
  
The Voice thought that this might be a good time  
to make its exit. 'Hai...who would have thought that trusty  
old Self-Control would have ended up angering Order-sama.  
Well, if Order-sama does not need me anymore, I will be  
disappearing now.' But before the Voice could make a hasty  
retreat, Order stopped laughing and returned to glare at  
the Voice.  
  
'FREEZE.' And the Voice froze. 'I TOLD YOU NOT TO  
LIE TO THE ALL POWERFUL ORDER. LOOK AT YOU. YOU HAVE GUILTY  
WRITTEN ALL OVER YOU!' The Voice looked at himself. Indeed,  
he did have the kanji representing 'guilty' written all over  
him in marker.  
  
'Why that dirty, double-crossing slime ball!!!' But  
before the Voice could say a few more...ahem...choice words,  
Order placed the Voice in the Void.  
  
'That ought to hold you, you meddlesome child.' In  
a flash, the formless Order turned into a super kawaii,  
super-deformed, chibi Mamoru, wearing a neat little pair of  
jeans, a cotton button-up shirt and a most adorable little  
apron that had "Bless this Mess" printed on it. With a snap  
of its fingers, a broom and dustpan magically appeared in  
Order's hands. 'SIGH...my work is never done.' With that,  
Order promptly set about clearing the jumble of thoughts.  
  
*Fifteen Minutes Later*  
  
Mamoru finally shook himself out of his stupor.  
No matter how badly he felt for Usagi, her past was no  
longer the main priority. Usagi and her happiness was now  
HIS main priority and no matter what, Mamoru had to make  
his Usagi happy again. Using his phone, Mamoru dialed the  
nurses' main desk.  
  
"Moshi moshi, Tokyo Hospital's main desk. Nurse  
Kaneshiro speaking. How may I help you?" said a male voice.  
  
"Ano, Kaneshiro-san. Could you tell me if a Tsukino  
Usagi has shown up yet for her shift?" replied Mamoru.  
  
"Usagi-chan? Gomen nasai, demo I can not let out  
information about our most gorgeous volunteer to just  
anybody. May I ask with whom am I speaking?"  
  
Mamoru stifled his anger. After all, Usagi was not  
technically seeing him...yet...and the men in the hospital  
had every right to dream...HOPELESSLY. "Kaneshiro-san, I am  
DOCTOR Chiba and I needed to talk to Tsukino-san about a  
patient that she helped me with."  
  
*Snort* "Chiba-san, you'll have to do better than  
that. I need a medical identification number from you."  
  
"NANI? For Kami sake, I am not asking for a  
government secret. I just need to know if Tsukino-san has  
arrived yet."  
  
Kaneshiro sighed. Usagi-chan's admirers (himself  
included) had a history of pestering the front desk for  
information about the blond beauty. Eventually, it had  
gotten so bad that the people at the desk began making  
sure that the people calling about Usagi-chan were truly  
medical personnel. There had been one too many incidents  
of strange people just walking onto the hospital floor with  
flowers for the volunteer. "Chiba-san, if you are a doctor  
here, you must be new. If anyone calls about Usagi-chan,  
these precautions must be taken. Unless you do not want the  
information, I suggest that you tell me your medical ID  
number."  
  
Grumbling, Mamoru told the nurse his ID number.  
After waiting for the man to verify his identity, Kaneshiro  
finally answered Mamoru's question. "Gomen, Dr. Chiba, demo  
Usagi-chan is not coming in today."  
  
Mamoru was surprised. Not come in? Was she sick?  
"Doushite? I thought she came in everyday of the week."  
  
Kaneshiro sighed. "Usually, Usagi-chan does. Demo  
this week is a very personal time for Usagi-chan and she  
takes a week's leave of absence. Is that all, doctor?"  
  
"Hai. Arigato. Sayonara." Mamoru hung up the phone.  
A week? He would have to wait a week to see Usagi-chan  
again. Although the thought of separation from the woman he  
loved was disturbing, Mamoru knew he could use time to  
figure out exactly how he could ask Usagi out on a date.  
Besides, Usagi would most likely need the distraction after  
this week. Mamoru sighed. Sadly, he almost knew exactly  
what Usagi was going through.  
  
*Tsukino House*  
  
"Shingo, I'm home," called Usagi as she took off  
her shoes and placed them neatly on the entryway floor.  
As she was putting on her pink pair of house slippers,  
Shingo stuck his head into the hallway.  
  
"Kon'wa, onee-chan. Good day at school?" he  
inquired as he helped Usagi with her groceries.  
  
Usagi smiled at her very tall younger brother. He  
had grown to be as tall as Motoki-onii-chan. His once  
unruly sandy blonde hair had now settled into a very  
handsome style. His green eyes shone with intelligence and  
no longer with mischief. To be sure, Shingo still loved to  
have fun, especially if it meant making Usagi laugh, but  
over the years, his knowledge of what was appropriate for  
the situation had increased immensely. It was not so long  
ago that Shingo treated her with as much respect as he  
would a mosquito. But now, after all that has happened,  
Shingo had matured to a very loving and respectful younger  
brother. "Wonderful, Shingo. The kids were very well  
behaved today. How were classes today?"  
  
Shingo began walking toward the kitchen, his arms  
weighed down by the plastic bags. "Fine, as always. I have  
a paper coming up in English and I hoped that you might  
have time to read it before I turn it in next week."  
  
Usagi, hindered by her own bags, replied, "Of  
course. Just tell me when you are ready." As she passed by  
the dining room, she noticed that Shingo's partner had  
indeed arrived. "Mika! I did not know that you were here  
already." Stopping her journey, Usagi looked at the young  
woman.  
  
Mika stood up from her seat and gave Usagi a deep  
bow. "Gomen nasai, Usagi-chan for not greeting you at the  
door. I was so involved in the project that I did not hear  
the doorbell or notice Shingo getting up." Before Usagi  
could interrupt, Shingo reappeared from the kitchen.  
  
"Onee-chan, you should not be holding these heavy  
bags for so long. You could hurt yourself. Here, let me  
take them." Shingo gently wrestled the bags from Usagi's  
hands.  
  
Giggling, Usagi mock-glared at Shingo. "Shingo,  
I am not a little girl anymore. Besides, you are the  
younger one here." Playfully, Shingo stuck out his tongue  
before he disappeared back into the kitchen. After laughing  
at his antics, Usagi turned her attention back to Mika.  
"Mika-chan, you do not have to apologize. I understand  
completely. Besides, Shingo only greets me formally  
because he wants make me hurry and cook dinner." Both  
Mika and Usagi shared a good laugh.  
  
"Nani? What is so funny?" said Shingo as he  
reemerged. "Onee-chan? Mika-chan?"  
  
Regaining her control, Usagi patted Shingo on the  
head as she headed toward the kitchen. "Nothing, Shingo.  
Continue working on the project with Mika-chan."  
  
Shrugging, Shingo nodded. "Onee-chan, when is  
dinner going to ready?" Poor Shingo. He had asked his  
sister the same question everyday with no incident. But  
somehow this time, his question sent his sister and Mika  
into another fit of laughter. 'Women...' he thought as he  
sat back down to the project.  
  
*Three Hours Later*  
  
After preparing dinner and enjoying it with Mika  
and Shingo (who was still looking a bit mystified), Usagi  
left the two college students to their work and went to  
her room. Usagi showered quickly and changed into her  
pajamas. Although it was still quite early, Usagi wanted  
to be prepared. Every year, it was the same ritual:  
reminisce, cry and fall asleep. For today was not just an  
ordinary day to the Tsukino siblings. Today was the day  
before the anniversary of the death of their parents.  
  
For Shingo, his heartache and pain would be  
expressed tomorrow, when he and his sister visited the  
grave site. For him, time had managed to heal his pain a  
great deal.  
  
But for Usagi, time had done nothing to help the  
poor girl. Every day she felt the pang of longing for her  
parents. Even as a grown woman, she still missed hearing  
her okaa-san's scolding voice or her otou-san ranting  
about her dating a boy.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
14 year-old Usagi walked home dejectedly. Another  
school day, another detention and another failed test.  
She had even been able to launch the offending test paper  
and hit a extremely rude (but very kawaii) young man.  
  
'Even though I hit him, I apologized immediately.  
Demo he yelled at me,' thought Usagi with a sniff. 'Why  
is everyone being so mean to me today?' A few tears fell  
from her eyes.  
  
Knowing what awaited her, Usagi hoped that her  
okaa-san would at the very least allow her to come back  
home before dinner. Straightening her posture, hoping  
that it would bring her some courage, Usagi entered her  
home. Immediately, Tsukino Ikuko was blocking the hallway  
that would allow Usagi to run to the safety of her room.  
  
"Usagi-chan, Umino said that your class received  
their English test scores today. So, how did you do?"  
questioned Ikuko.  
  
Reluctantly, Usagi held out the crumpled test  
paper and awaited the storm. She did not wait long.  
  
"TSUKINO USAGI," said Ikuko warningly as her  
spatula oscillated back and forth dangerously. "A 30?!  
NO DAUGHTER OF MINE GETS THESE KIND OF TEST SCORES AND  
STILL GETS FED."  
  
*Another Flashback*  
  
"Okaa-san! Okaa-san! Naru-chan is having a party  
next week. May I go?" asked Usagi as she hopped up and  
down. She absolutely loved going to parties.  
  
Ikuko smiled indulgently at her enthusiastic  
daughter. "Who is going to be there, Usagi-chan?"  
  
Usagi shrugged. "Some of my classmates. Naru's  
friends and a few of her relatives. May I go, Okaa-san?  
Onegai?" Clasping her hands and giving her mother her  
best puppy dog look, Usagi hoped that her mother would  
say yes.  
  
Ikuko laughed. "You do not have to beg,  
Usagi-chan. You may go," Usagi jumped up and cheered,  
"...if your otou-san agrees." Usagi immediately was on  
the verge of tears.  
  
"O...otou-san? Demo...okaa-san...Naru said that  
her guy cousins are going to be there," whispered Usagi  
to her mother as she nervously dug her toe into the  
floor.  
  
Whoops.  
  
Wrong thing to say.  
  
"BOYS?!?!?! WITHIN FIVE HUNDRED FEET OF MY  
USAGI! NOT IN THIS LIFETIME!" bellowed Tsukino Kenji  
from the front doorway. Both Usagi and Ikuko looked  
at each other in amazement. Kenji was able to hear  
Usagi's whispered words with deadly accuracy despite  
the fact that he had been in the garage parking the car  
and Usagi and Ikuko were upstairs in Usagi's room. Both  
Usagi and Ikuko began to sweatdrop as Kenji proclaimed  
to the world that if any member of the male species even  
tried to get near his daughter, he would soon be  
personally introduced to Kenji's beloved kitana  
collection. And Kenji stressed the idea of 'personally.'  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Smiling wistfully, Usagi picked up the family  
photo from her shelf. So many happy memories...but cut  
off too soon. She was only 15 when her parents were killed  
in a freak bus accident on their way to the shopping mall.  
A few nights before the accident, Ikuko and Kenji told Usagi  
how proud they were that Usagi was really trying to study  
for the high school entrance exams. Ami had even started  
Usagi out on a strict regime of lessons so that Usagi could  
make up for all her lost time, even though the entrance  
exams would not take place until the third year of secondary  
school. During their conversation, Ikuko told Usagi that she  
hoped that Usagi would go to a good high school and then a  
good university. When Usagi said that her dream was to be a  
doctor, Kenji promised Usagi that he and Ikuko would always  
support Usagi's dreams.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Usagi-chan, one day, I want to be out there, with  
all the other parents, cheering your name. I want to see  
you in that black robe and graduation cap getting your  
diploma from the dean," Ikuko said as she looked at her  
daughter. "When you stand up there, diploma in hand, odangos  
shining in the sun, my dream will have come true. My  
mesume, you'll grow up to do wonderful things. I only can  
hope to be there to see all your great achievements."  
  
Kenji smiled at his wife and gave her hand a loving  
squeeze. "My little Usagi, just yesterday you were only as  
tall as my knee, tripping over my feet. Now, you are studying  
for your high school entrance exams. No matter all the  
problems you had getting to this point, I know that you will  
do your best. No matter what happens, remember that we love  
you. Whether you become a doctor, a teacher, or a," Kenji  
choked on the next word, "housewife, although if any man  
dares get near you, I'll..." Ikuko poked him in the ribs as  
Usagi suppressed a giggle. "...your mother and I will always  
be proud of you."  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Usagi never could forget that conversation. She never  
thought that her parents believed that she could get into a  
good high school, let alone a university. But knowing that  
they had faith in her made Usagi have faith in herself. After  
her parents' death, she threw herself into her studies, to  
the complete surprise of her friends. Even though Usagi had  
been studying hard before, it now seemed as if the school  
books had become Usagi's anchor in life. She did not go to  
the Crown or any of her other hangouts. Every time Ami or any  
of Usagi's other friends tried to get Usagi to do something  
with them, Usagi would always say something about a test  
coming up or a report being due. For two months, Usagi was a  
hermit in her room. All of her friends were concerned but did  
not know how they could help her. It got to the point where  
Usagi constantly had dark circles under her eyes due to a  
lack of sleep and her clothes had begun to hang off her rapidly  
thinning body. Eventually it was Shingo who dragged Usagi's  
secret out of her. Concerned about his sister's health, Shingo  
held Usagi's books hostage until she finally broke down and  
told him about her conversation with her parents and why she  
was pushing herself beyond her limits.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"I just want to make okaa-san and otou-san proud of  
me, Shingo. I do not want to be a disappointment to them. I  
failed them so many times. I will NOT fail their last  
request," said Usagi as she sobbed into her pillow.  
  
Shingo was shocked. For the last two months, Usagi  
had been studying nonstop in order to please their parents?  
His eyes began to fill with tears as well as he awkwardly  
patted Usagi's back. "Baka, it's ok. Otou-san and Okaa-san  
would be proud of you no matter what. Okaa-san and Otou-san  
love you. They would be happy to see you try so hard. But they  
would not have wanted you to become like this. Come back to us,  
Usagi. Your friends need you." Shingo paused and then whispered,  
"and me, onee-chan, I need you too."  
  
Usagi grew still at Shingo's use of 'onee-chan.' Never  
had the little pest ever called her anything besides 'baka.'  
"Honto ne, Shingo? You need Usagi-baka?" whispered Usagi as she  
lifted her face from her tear-soaked pillow. Shingo nodded  
through his tears and threw himself into Usagi's embrace. The  
two siblings cried together for the rest of the night.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Eventually the years passed for the Tsukino family.  
Usagi and Shingo's god-parents assumed guardianship of the two  
children until Usagi became of age and formally took over  
guardianship of Shingo. They continued to live in the house of  
their childhood, their father having paid off the mortgage long  
ago. Although their parents had saved some money for them, it  
would run out eventually. Usagi knew that she had to get a job  
as soon as possible. Relatives, as generous as they were, had  
families of their own and Usagi did not believe that they should  
have to shoulder the burden of two extra people. So, she gave up  
the dream of becoming a doctor and instead studied to obtain a  
teaching position at the local elementary school. With her job,  
she began to support Shingo and herself and she tried her best  
to repay her relatives. Although Usagi still wished she had been  
able to become a doctor, she knew that she made the right decision.  
Her salary was able to support her and Shingo and some of the  
money her parents had put aside for her education could now be  
given to Shingo so that he could pursue his dream without  
having to worry about tuition.  
  
'Otou-san, Okaa-san. Shingo and I miss you guys so much.'  
A tear trickled down Usagi's cheek. 'You would be so proud of  
Shingo. He's grown into a fine young man. You remember when we  
used to fight so much? He'd tease me about my grades, my hair,  
everything. Now, he teases all the girls at school. Hai, Okaa-san,  
I'm making sure that he treats the girls with the proper respect.  
But he's gotten so handsome that they all swoon when he steps onto  
Azabu's campus.' Usagi had a small smile on her face as she looked  
down upon the picture of her family. 'We get along just fine now.  
Remember, Okaa-san, when you used to put your head in your hands  
and moan, "When will they ever grow up?" Then I would wail so loud  
that the entire neighborhood shook, not to mention the house, that  
Shingo had done something to me. But Shingo would only pull down  
his eyelid, stick out his tongue, and taunt, "Usagi-baka. Grow up."  
Do you see me, Okaa-san, Otou-san? I'm all grown up now. I'm a  
teacher now. I have the best class in the world. Every week, I  
visit the orphanage and bring minna along with me. Everyday, after  
class, I volunteer at the hospital.' Usagi's tears fell without  
pause upon the photo frame, but she didn't move to wipe them away.  
'But I'm still your mesume. I'm just a little girl who misses her  
parents.' Cradling the photo in her arms, Usagi laid down on her  
bed and sobbed. 'Okaa-san, Otou-san. Tomorrow is the day I finally  
tell Shingo everything. I am slowly getting worse. I can't continue  
doing all the things I love. Shingo must be prepared. No matter how  
hard it will be to tell him.'  
  
Translations:  
  
ano- um...  
doushite- why?  
kawaii- cute  
kon'wa- short for konnbanwa which means good evening  
mesume- daughter  
okaa-san- mother  
onee-chan- older sister  
onii-chan- older brother  
otou-san- father  
shimatta- curse word  
  
Author Notes:  
  
I know...the whole thing is very choppy but I've been  
having a harder time creating the whole story. Gomen nasai =P  
Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this story (it is going to  
take a lot longer than I thought) and re-edit it once I have  
the entire plot written out.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	10. Yuuichirou's Wish

*Disclaimer: I am really running out of ideas on  
different ways to put this, so I'll be brief. I do  
not own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 9: Yuuichirou's Wish  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
*Next Day*  
  
Usagi slowly drove from the grave site to Hikawa  
Jinja. Like last year, Shingo sat in silence next to her,  
dressed in a dark blue suit, his green eyes solemn. Usagi  
herself wore a simple black dress, her hair in its usual  
odangos. After parking the car, the two siblings walked  
toward the shrine, both dealing with their own thoughts.  
Finally reaching the top, Usagi gave a quick smile and  
wave to Rei, who was sweeping the grounds. Smiling back,  
Rei continued to sweep, knowing that the two wanted some  
time alone.  
  
Shingo approached the prayer bell first. After  
pulling on the thick red and white cord that rang the bell,  
Shingo clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and began  
to pray. When Shingo was done, Usagi repeated his actions.  
While Usagi was occupied, Shingo walked over to Rei to wait  
for his sister.  
  
"Ohayo, Rei-san," said Shingo as he bowed respectfully.  
Holding her broom in one hand and dusting off her white and  
red robes with the other, Rei made sure she looked like a  
proper Shinto priestess before replying.  
  
"Ohayo, Shingo. How are things? It has been awhile  
since I've seen you," asked Rei as she smoothed back her long  
black hair. They continued the small talk until Rei noticed  
that Usagi had finished praying and was approaching them.  
  
"Ohayo, Usagi-chan! I was catching up with Shingo on  
all the events at the uni." Rei grinned at her friend. "I  
can't believe that Shimamura-sensei's toupee actually fell  
off during one of his lectures. After all the attempts our  
classmates tried to pull off that hideous thing, it finally  
just falls off his head?! I would have paid admission to see  
such an event."  
  
All three shared a laugh. When Usagi regained control  
of herself, she said, "Rei-chan, could we all speak in your  
room for awhile? There is something I must tell Shingo and I  
would like you to be there as well." Both Rei and Shingo gave  
Usagi a surprised and confused look. "Rei-chan, onegai,  
shinnjite. I'll need you there for this conversation."  
  
Realization hitting her, Rei nodded, all laughter  
gone from her eyes. "Let me get Yuui-chan to make us some tea  
and I'll be in shortly. You and Shingo go ahead without me."  
Usagi nodded and led the befuddled Shingo towards the private  
building on the shrine grounds.  
  
While they were making themselves cozy in Rei's  
room, Rei was trying to find her fiancé. 'Kami-sama. Where  
is that dolt fiancé of mine?' Rei swerved around another  
corner of the temple grounds, headed toward the cherry trees.  
'Knowing him, he's probably sleeping under the trees instead  
of sweeping up the leaves like I asked him to. Why do I put  
up with him?' Spotting a odd pile of leaves, Rei ran up to  
the pile and promptly whacked it with her broom.  
  
The pile was promptly dispersed into the air as a  
figure with a brown mop of hair and dressed in blue and  
white Shinto priest robes shot up, wide-awake. "ITAI!!  
WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT? SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD. I AM  
NOT AFRAID OF YOU! I WAS TAUGHT BY THE GREAT MASTER--"  
  
"Yuui-chan, before I give you another smack of  
my broom, URUSAI!" shouted Rei. Yuuichirou immediately  
quieted. "Yuui-chan, Usagi and Shingo are here and I think  
that Usagi finally wants to tell him everything. Would you  
please make yourself useful and make us some tea?"  
  
Yuuichirou pulled out the leaves that were stuck in  
his hair before saluting. "Hai, as you wish, Rei-chan."  
Sighing in exasperation at her hopelessly silly fiancé, Rei  
turned to join the Tsukino siblings. "Rei..." As Yuuichirou's  
words, Rei spun around, annoyance clearly written in her  
features.  
  
"Nani, Yuuichirou?" she cried, her broom already  
raised into the air. If he dared to say that he wanted to  
sleep more, she'd sacrifice him to the sacred fire.  
  
"Rei-chan, Usagi-chan will really need your help  
to get through this. Be strong for her, ne?" he said softly.  
  
Rei's face immediately softened and her broom dropped  
to the ground. "Oh Yuui-chan. It's times like this that remind  
me just how much I love you. Aishiteru." Giving him a small  
peck on the cheek, Rei quickly ran back to her two waiting  
guests.  
  
Yuuichirou's eyes twinkled beneath his bangs.  
'Rei-chan, aishiteru. And I hope you can lend Usagi-chan  
some of your strength. Kami-sama knows she'll need it.'  
Heading toward the kitchen, Yuuichirou rubbed the lump on  
his head. 'If Kami is kind, maybe Usagi will keep some of  
Rei-chan's strength or else she might end up killing me one  
day with that broom of hers.'  
  
*Hikawa Jinja, Hino Rei's Room*  
  
Rei slid the rice paper door closed. Kneeling on a  
cushion to the right of Usagi and the left of Shingo, she  
looked at the two siblings kneeling on opposite sides of the  
square wooden table. Shingo was looking at Usagi in confusion  
while Usagi was staring intently as her hands, which were  
folded in her lap. Rei cleared her throat to get their  
attention. Both Shingo and Usagi looked at Rei, eager to dispel  
the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Rei sighed. It was up to her to get this started.  
"Usagi-chan, I'm here now and I'll support you in whatever you  
need to tell Shingo."  
  
Usagi gave Rei a grateful smile. "Arigato gozaimasu,  
Rei-chan." Taking a deep breath, Usagi's face grew very serious.  
"Shingo, gomen nasai demo I have been hiding something from  
you. I did not want to lie to you demo I did not want you to  
worry about it. Even now, I have taken care of most of the  
details. Of course, there will still be a considerable burden  
on you demo I think that you will be able to handle it well..."  
  
"Onee-chan, what in the world are you saying? Burden  
on me? Handle what well? I'm still so confused," interrupted  
Shingo. Usagi glanced at Rei and they both broke out into  
nervous giggles.  
  
"Gomen Shingo. I suppose I should start from the  
beginning. Remember last year when I began getting those odd  
nosebleeds?" Shingo nodded. He remembered. "Well, I went to the  
hospital and my friend, Dr. Hongo ran some tests on me." Dread  
began to gnaw at Shingo's insides. Something told him that this  
was not something that he wanted to hear. "She told me...she  
told me that I had brain cancer."  
  
"NANI?!" Shingo's hand pounded into the table. "Cancer?  
How is that possible? A year ago? How come you aren't getting  
treatment? Why didn't you tell me then?" He was about to pound  
the table into tiny toothpicks when Rei's hand grabbed his  
shoulder. Looking at the priestess, Shingo calmed himself and  
waited for Usagi to continue speaking.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Shingo. I did not want to tell you then  
because you were in your second year at the uni. You had  
studies to concentrate on and I did not want this weighing on  
your mind."  
  
"Of course I worry about you. I should worry and I do  
worry. Never mind my studies, onee-chan. You're my only onee-chan  
and the only one of my family left. I should have been there to  
help you with the news." Usagi gave Shingo a sad smile as she  
patted his cheek.  
  
"Shingo, I appreciate that." Shingo began to relax his  
body as the shock gave way to thought.  
  
"Onee-chan, how come you aren't in the hospital getting  
chemo or something? You shouldn't be working and tiring yourself  
out. You need to rest and take care of yourself to fight the  
cancer, right?" Shingo looked from his sister to Rei and back  
to his sister. Both girls were not looking at him and Shingo  
could even see a tear escape down Rei's cheek. Shingo had never  
seen the priestess cry, not even at her grandfather's funeral.  
Rei always was strong enough to hide her pain until she was alone.  
"Iie..." he breathed.  
  
"Shingo, it has been a year since the diagnosis. Dr.  
Hongo told me that the traditional methods of treatment were  
hopeless. I decided that I did not want to suffer through them  
if they were not going to help me in any way. I wanted my time  
left to be as productive and as happy as possible. I'm telling  
you now because you'll need to get a job. When I leave, I want  
to make sure that you'll be ok and well provided for." Usagi  
blinked back the tears in her eyes. She needed to be strong for  
her brother.  
  
"Leave? Where are you going, onee-chan? Is there an  
experimental treatment you're going to try? Don't worry about  
the cost, I'll find a good job and pay for the treatment. Just  
get better, ne?" Shingo could feel the panic rising in his  
chest. His sister would get better. Kami could not be this  
cruel to him. Kami had taken his parents. Heaven couldn't be  
calling for Usagi already.  
  
Usagi bit her lip, trying to keep her sobs to herself.  
Shingo was not willing to see the truth. "Ano...Shingo. I'm  
not going anywhere. At least, not the way that you're thinking.  
Listen to me." Shingo reluctantly looked straight into Usagi's  
eyes. "There is no miracle cure. There is no experimental  
medicine for the type of cancer I have. Dr. Hongo examined me  
recently and has found that the cancer has begun to spread.  
There is nothing she can do. Chemo and radiation will do nothing  
for this type of cancer. Basically she's given me a year at best.  
She's surprised that I've been able to hold out this long. So  
before I die, I want to make sure that you'll be able to be  
taken care of."  
  
Clenching his jaw, Shingo tried to process all the  
information that Usagi had given him. His sister was dying and  
he was going to be left alone. "Usagi...is there anything I  
can do?"  
  
Usagi's eyes were filling with tears. Rei had turned  
away, hiding her own sobs with her hands. "Shingo, there is  
nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do." At those  
words, Shingo slumped down, defeated. "Shingo, I sent in my  
resignation to Juuban High School. After this term, I will no  
longer be teaching there. Once I'm gone, you'll need to support  
yourself. Can you do it? I've asked some of the relatives and  
my friends. They have agreed to help if you need it."  
  
Shaking his head, Shingo looked at his sister with  
determined eyes. "Iie, onee-chan. After all you gave up to  
raise me, you think that I would not be capable of handling  
this? You did not raise a louse, onee-chan. Don't worry. I'll  
find some way to support us. Don't worry onee-chan. I'll get  
you the finest care before you..." Despite all his efforts,  
Shingo finally broke down. Sobs racking his chest, he threw his  
arms around his older sister. After their parents' death, she  
had become his anchor, his shelter from the harshness of the  
world. But now she was going to be taken from him. Would he be  
ok without her? As he cried, Shingo thought about all the things  
that Usagi had taught him, whether intentional or otherwise.  
No matter what happened, Usagi did not raise him to be a  
weakling. He would survive. Even if he had to do so, alone.  
  
*Half an Hour Later, On the Steps of Hikawa Jinja*  
  
Mamoru looked at the old Shinto shrine. It had been  
years since he last visited the place. He had never been a  
really religious man; after all, if Kami had robbed him of his  
parents, he didn't see a point in fearing such a heartless deity.  
But after Ami's story about how Usagi lost her parents and all  
the hardships she had to endure, Mamoru began to think twice.  
Usagi had not become bitter or cold, despite the fate that Kami  
had thrown at her. Maybe he had been too busy blaming the whole  
entire world for something it hadn't done.  
  
'This is too much philosophizing. What do you think this  
is, a philosophy class? Just ring the dang bell and be done with  
it,' yelled the Voice. 'That crazy Hino Rei might still be  
around. With our luck, Yuuichirou might have finally come to his  
senses and run away. If that happened, then you can be sure Rei  
will be looking for a new guy. Namely, us.'  
  
Self-Control stopped Mamoru from chuckling. 'Baka, we're  
at a shrine. It's time to be respectful.'  
  
The Voice rolled its eyes. 'Being respectful is going to  
get us caught.'  
  
Mamoru began to look around the old shrine. There was  
Yuuichirou, dressed in his robes, sweeping up some leaves.  
Spotting Mamoru, Yuuichirou walked toward Mamoru's position.  
  
'Ouch...that bump looks like it hurts,' thought Mamoru  
as he inwardly winced. On the outside, however, Mamoru smiled  
and bowed to Yuuichirou.  
  
"Ohayo, Yuuichirou-kun. Long time, no see," Mamoru  
said pleasantly.  
  
Bowing despite the broom in his hand, Yuuichirou gave  
Mamoru a big grin. "Ohayo, Mamoru-kun. What brings you to the  
Hikawa Jinja?" Noticing that Mamoru seemed to be on the look out  
for something, Yuuichirou chuckled. "Mamoru-kun, no need to be  
afraid. Rei-chan and I are now engaged to be married."  
  
Sheepishly, Mamoru held a nervous hand to the back of  
his head. "Nani, Yuuichirou-kun? I was not afraid. I was just...  
just..." At Yuuichirou's laugh, Mamoru gave up trying to hide it.  
"Ano...Yuuichirou-kun, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just  
wanted to look around. It's been such a long time since I've seen  
a jinja. There weren't any near my school in America and I kind of  
missed it." Playfully smacking Mamoru's back, Yuuichirou nodded  
and gave him another grin before walking back towards the unswept  
leaves.  
  
With a sigh of relief, Mamoru returned to examining the  
area. It was just as he remembered it. Peaceful and comforting.  
At a relaxed pace, Mamoru began to walk around the grounds.  
Suddenly the door to the private building opened and out stepped  
Rei. Immediately, Mamoru darted behind the corner of the nearest  
building, his heart racing.  
  
'Did she see me?' he thought. As cautiously as possible,  
Mamoru peeked around the corner. Rei was not looking in his  
direction. Rather, her attention was focused on the occupants of  
the room behind her.  
  
"Usagi-chan, you really should come by more often. I  
hardly get to see you outside of our work at the orphanage. I  
miss our old study sessions with minna," said Rei, her head still  
turned away from Mamoru.  
  
Mamoru felt his heart leap. Usagi was here? Maybe he  
could get a chance to talk to her, provided that he avoided Rei's  
notice. Even though Rei was engaged...she still frightened him.  
  
'She should be committed. She could easily chase us down  
and throw us into that sacred fire of hers,' said the Voice.  
  
Self-Control rolled its eyes but said nothing. As long as  
Rei did not notice Mamoru, it would remain in control. But once  
Rei spotted him, Self-Control would probably be replaced by Fear,  
Self-Preservation and Flight. It shuddered. Better to avoid the  
fiery Shrine maiden.  
  
Slowly a figure emerged from the building. Mamoru melted.  
There she was, in a black dress, its dark colors contrasting with  
her golden hair and blue eyes perfectly.  
  
'Kawaii,' sighed the Voice and Self-Control.  
  
'Go talk to her,' ordered the Voice.  
  
But just when Mamoru was about to emerge from hiding,  
a man appeared behind Usagi and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, his deep voice filled  
with worry.  
  
To Mamoru's shock, Usagi turned her head and gave the man  
one of her gorgeous smiles. "Hai, Shingo. I'll be fine. We should  
leave now." The man nodded and bowed to Rei. After saying her own  
goodbye, Usagi and the man walked side by side and disappeared  
down the shrine steps.  
  
'NANI!!!' cried the Voice and Self-Control.  
  
The Voice began to choke Self-Control. 'BAKA!!! YOU LET  
HER GO! WE LOST USAGI! SHE'S WITH THAT OTHER MAN! WE'RE GOING TO  
BE DOOMED TO LONELINESS AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!'  
  
Gagging, Self-Control tried to reason with the Voice.  
'It...is...not...my...fault.' Its face began to turn blue. 'Will  
you...let...GO!!'  
  
The Voice and Self-Control began to wrestle so neither  
was able to prevent Jealousy from popping up, curious at what was  
causing such a ruckus. It laughed at the sight of the Voice and  
Self-Control rolling around, each trying to place the other in  
a headlock. However, all laughter fled when it laid eyes on the  
image of Usagi and Shingo walking away together.  
  
'N-A-N-I?!?!' Self-Control and the Voice grew still. Mount  
Jealousy was about to erupt. Looking at each other with pale faces,  
the two quickly scrambled to find some sort of cover.  
  
'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? WHERE IS MY USAGI GOING  
WITH THAT KISAMA?' Jealousy seethed, hands in upturned claws,  
nostrils flaring, back hunched in preparation for battle. It ranted,  
using words way beyond the rating of this fanfiction. Outside of  
Mamoru's mind, back to the man himself, the situation was very  
similar.  
  
"How dare that guy act so familiar with my Odango?" he  
fumed. "When I find out who he is, I'll...I'll..." *CRACK* The  
deathgrip that Mamoru had placed on the temple's wooden pole had  
actually started to split the bamboo. His face was an unhealthy  
shade of green and his blue eyes turned a murderous shade of  
black. Steam began to emerge from his ears.  
  
"Ano...Mamoru-san." Mamoru yelped in surprise. Grinning,  
Rei leaned her face closer to the red faced, hyperventilating man.  
"Why are you making indentations in the temple walls? And why would  
a guy being familiar with Odango bother you so much?" She wagged a  
finger at him. "Have you been spying on our little Odango?"  
  
Shamefully, Mamoru replied, "Iie, I did not mean to spy  
on Usagi-chan." He looked at the wall and indeed there were five  
holes where his fingers had been. "And those holes were an  
accident, I swear."  
  
Her grin getting even wider, Rei pretended to be in shock.  
"Usagi-chan? Since when did you start calling Odango Atama that?"  
  
Blushing, Mamoru began to stammer. "Since...since..."  
  
Rei couldn't take it anymore and started laughing.  
"It's ok, Mamoru-san. Ami-chan told me about everything at the  
hospital. You don't need to explain to me." Mamoru sighed in  
relief. "Demo don't think you're off the hook. Who did you say  
Usagi-chan was seeing?"  
  
Mamoru looked at Rei in confusion. "Nani? Shouldn't you  
know who Usagi-chan is seeing?" Rei shook her head. "You were just  
talking to him. He and Usagi-chan just left together."  
  
Rei looked at Mamoru in shock. And then she did something  
completely unexpected. She started rolling on the temple grounds,  
clutching her sides as she laughed for a long time.  
  
Inside the mental bomb shelter, the Voice poked Self-Control  
in the side. 'You see, baka? We asked her a simple question and now  
look what she's doing! Rolling around on the ground and laughing  
like a lunatic! I told you this was dangerous, but did you listen  
to me? Iie!' Before the Voice could continue its little rant,  
Self-Control threw some canned foods at its head, effectively  
shutting up the Voice. Self-Control picked up a dented can.  
  
'Hmph. Just as I thought, expired!'  
  
Wiping a tear from her eye, Rei finally stood up again and  
spoke. "That man Usagi-chan just left with is her younger brother,  
Shingo. Her boyfriend?" Rei burst into giggles again. "That has got  
to be the most hilarious thing I ever heard. Mamoru-san being  
jealous of Usagi's brother."  
  
Mamoru sweatdropped. Of course, why did it not occur to him  
earlier? Self-Control blushed while holding up a sign that read,  
'Oops!' Usagi and her brother, Shingo. There was no reason for him  
to be jealous. Everything was ok in his world.  
  
"Now that I saved you from a heart attack, Mamoru-san, I  
expect you to pay me back." Rei grinned. How she was going to enjoy  
prying the information from Mamoru. Mamoru grimaced while  
Self-Control dove back into the bomb shelter. The Voice was still  
seeing little SD Usagi's running around so it did not notice Fear,  
Flight and Self-Preservation make the scene.  
  
Mamoru gulped, nervous. "Ano...Rei-san, what do you expect  
from me?" His feet began to move unconsciously toward the exit.  
  
Rei continued to grin fiendishly. "I expect you to tell me  
just exactly what are your intentions toward our little Odango."  
With that, Rei promptly began to haul Mamoru toward her room.  
  
Watching the entire situation, Yuuichirou sweatdropped.  
Looking up at the sky, he shook his head ruefully. "You couldn't  
even let Usagi keep a little?"  
  
Translations:  
ano- um...  
shinnjite- trust me  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Grr...I meant for a better chapter than this, demo I had  
to cut it out due to length. =P Oh well, this just means that the  
next chapter will be full of good developments =)  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	11. Pink Haired Mamoru Strikes Again!

*Disclaimer: Choose one and place here.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 10: Pink Haired Mamoru Strikes Again!  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
*Tokyo Hospital-Days Later*  
  
"Little one, are you ready to go?" said Usagi  
as she knocked on the hospital door. Suddenly, the  
door swung open, revealing the saddened pink-haired  
child. Usagi looked at the girl who was sniffling  
while tugging at the hem of her hospital gown and  
immediately grew concerned. Kneeling to face the  
girl, she asked, "Daijobu?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "Usagi-onee-chan,  
I don't have any good clothes to change into." She  
sniffled some more. "The clothes that they found me  
in were all torn up and since they don't know who I  
belong to, they can't get me any new ones."  
  
Usagi took out her handkerchief and handed it  
to the little girl. "Daijobu, little one. Did you think  
that I would not think about that? Why don't you look  
into this shopping bag that I happen to have with me,"  
she said as she revealed a colorful shopping bag from  
Juuban's shopping district's most popular children's  
store.  
  
The child's red eyes lit up in delight. "Honto  
ne, Usagi-onee-chan? This is for me?" When Usagi  
nodded, the girl squealed and began to dissect the  
contents of the bag. Inside was a cute little  
ensemble perfectly suited for the cool fall weather.  
Her eyes grew wider in admiration. "Arigato gozaimasu,  
Usagi-onee-chan. I love it!"  
  
Usagi smiled and ruffled the child's hair. "Why  
don't you go into the bathroom and change. When you're  
ready, I'll take you to Ami-onee-chan's house." The  
girl immediately flew into the bathroom, her hands  
happily clutching her new outfit. Usagi was pleased  
that her gift had made the girl so happy. After all,  
the next few days were not going to be easy for her at  
all.  
  
A knock at the doorway broke her train of  
thought. A certain handsome, ebony haired doctor stood  
there, mouth quivering in the corners at the odd sight  
of Usagi squatting next to the ripped remains of a  
shopping bag.  
  
"Usagi-chan, what did that poor bag ever do to  
you?" he said with a chuckle.  
  
Usagi stood and swatted his arm. "Mamoru-baka!"  
She mocked glared at him and Mamoru stopped chuckling,  
a smile still on his face. "What are you doing here?  
I thought that you were still on duty."  
  
Shaking his head, Mamoru replied, "Iie, one of  
the patients was well enough to go home and receive  
home treatment. So I'm done for the day. How about  
yourself, Usagi-chan?"  
  
Usagi pointed toward the still closed bathroom  
door. "I'm going to take the little one to Ami-chan's  
house. The orphanage is too full to take her right now  
and since she's completely healed, it's useless to keep  
her in the hospital. Dr. Mizuno offered to take care of  
her until a proper home could be found for her."  
  
Mamoru slowly nodded. "It would be better for  
her to stay with the Mizunos. The orphanage is no place  
for a child to grow up." Usagi gave him an sympathetic  
look and squeezed his hand, stopping the sad wave of  
memories from overtaking him.  
  
The bathroom door opened and out popped the girl.  
"Usagi-onee-chan, how do I look?" She twirled around  
merrily.  
  
Usagi clapped. "You look like a kawaii fashion  
model."  
  
The girl stopped twirling and ran to give Usagi  
a hug. "Arigato onee-chan. I love the gift!" Then her  
red eyes focused on Mamoru, who was still standing next  
to Usagi and the smile froze on her face.  
  
Seeing the girl's reaction, Usagi glanced at  
Mamoru and then back at the girl. "Little one, this is  
Chiba Mamoru. He's going to be a doctor very soon. You  
might remember him."  
  
The girl scowled. "Hai, I remember him. Demo I  
remember his hand even better," she said, smirking.  
Mamoru winced and kept his hands behind his back.  
  
Usagi, trying to dispel the unpleasant air,  
said, "Well, are you ready to go? I promised  
Ami-onee-chan to get you there as soon as my shift was  
over." The girl stopped glaring at Mamoru and quickly  
grabbed Usagi's outstretched hand.  
  
"Hai, onee-chan. Ami-onee-chan and Keiko-mama  
have my stuff from the crash, ne? I don't want to lose  
anything from my past."  
  
Usagi nodded. "Everything is ready for you at  
the Mizuno house. The only thing missing is you." She  
looked at Mamoru. "Gomen, Mamoru-kun, demo we have to  
leave now."  
  
"How about I join you?" he asked. The girl shot  
him a murderous glance but he ignored her. "After all,  
I couldn't very well let two beautiful princesses walk  
so far without an escort, can I?" Making a sweeping  
European bow, he looked up from his bent position at  
Usagi and said, "May I have the pleasure of escorting  
you two lovely ladies?"  
  
"Sometimes you are too silly, Mamoru-kun,"  
giggled Usagi, her cheeks blooming with color. He gave  
her a crooked smiled and offered his arm to her. With  
a small curtsy, Usagi took his arm. "Arigato,  
kishi-san. It would be most kind."  
  
*On the Way to Ami's House*  
  
By this time, Usagi was no longer holding  
Mamoru's arm, much to his disappointment. As Usagi and  
the girl made small talk about starting school at  
Juuban Elementary School, Mamoru sneaked a look at Usagi.  
She was the picture of beauty. Her hair took on the color  
of rose gold in the setting sun. Her light jacket was  
cut just right, accentuation her slim and delicate  
wrists. Every so often, a breeze would play with her  
long skirt.  
  
'How I wish I were the wind...' sighed the  
Voice. It continued to stare at the image of Usagi.  
  
Although engaged in conversation with Usagi,  
the looks Mamoru were giving Usagi did not escape the  
girl's notice. 'Why did that baka have to join us? It  
would have been so much better with just Usagi-onee-chan  
and me. He just wants to steal Usagi-onee-chan away from  
me. Well, we'll just see about that.' She gave Mamoru a  
evil grin while the trio paused at a crosswalk.  
  
'Why does that girl look positively evil just  
now? What is she plotting?' Mamoru wondered. He did  
not have to wonder for long. She abruptly stopped her  
chatter with Usagi.  
  
Usagi, wondering why the girl just suddenly  
stopped, asked, "Daijobu, little one?"  
  
The little girl shook her head, tears flooding  
her eyes. "Onee-chan, I don't have a name. What is  
sensei going to call me?"  
  
Usagi was surprised. Kneeling down again, she  
asked, "Well, little one, you don't remember your  
name yet and the hospital was not able to find out any  
information about your parents. So no one knows your  
name. Demo this means you get to choose a name for  
yourself until you remember your original one. What  
would you like to call yourself?"  
  
Pausing her sobbing, the girl seemed deep in  
thought. "I don't know. I can't think of any names."  
  
Usagi was racking her mind as well. "Ano...why  
don't you pick a name of someone you know right now.  
Maybe a movie star or something."  
  
"Someone I know...movie star, movie star..."  
The girl then began to rub the toe of her shoe into the  
ground. "Ano...there is one name that I like, demo I  
don't know if it would be ok to call myself that..."  
  
Usagi gently placed her hand under the girl's  
lowered chin. "What would you like to call yourself?"  
  
The girl's lids lowered as she mumbled, "Usagi."  
  
Blinking in shock, Usagi asked, "Nani?"  
  
"See! I didn't think that you would like it."  
Her red eyes began to fill with tears again. But before  
she could start the waterworks, Usagi shook her head  
and gave the girl a hug.  
  
"Iie, little one. I was just surprised that you  
would pick my name. I think it would be fine if you  
called yourself Usagi." She pushed her girl away enough  
so that she could look into her eyes. "I would be quite  
honored if you did take that name."  
  
The pink haired child grinned. 'This should get  
Mamoru-baka away from Usagi-onee-chan. That man is bad  
news so I'm doing Usagi-onee-chan a favor.' As Usagi  
hugged her again, the girl gave Mamoru a gloating look.  
  
Mamoru was shocked. That little brat was doing  
this on purpose. She was trying to steal Usagi away from  
him. 'Hmph. Well, she had better give up now because I'm  
not going to leave Usagi's life now.' He cleared his  
throat. "Demo, Usagi-chan, wouldn't that cause a bit of  
confusion? Two Usagis?"  
  
The girl gave him a look that could melt steel.  
'Baka! He's going to ruin my plans.' But Mamoru just  
looked at her calmly, ignoring her fiery anger.  
  
Usagi stood again. "Well, you could be right,  
Mamoru-kun." Mamoru shot the kid a look of victory as  
the girl began to shoot steam out of her ears. "Demo  
I think I know a solution. We could call her Chibi-Usagi  
or Chibi-Usa, for short." The girl gave Usagi an ecstatic  
nod while Mamoru sighed. "Well, now that you have a name,  
why don't we get to Ami-chan's?" That settled, the three  
continued on their journey.  
  
A block or two later, the merry trio (ok, two of  
them were merry and one was downright pissed off) entered  
an expensive apartment building.  
  
"Sugoi!! Keiko-mama and Ami-onee-chan live here?!"  
Chibi-Usa looked around curiously, amazed at the spacious  
and beautiful lobby.  
  
"Hai, Chibi-Usa. They actually live on the top  
floor of this place, in the penthouse. I think you'll  
really like it there. It's really roomy and comfortable,"  
replied Usagi as they entered the large elevator.  
  
"Could I push the button please?" begged Chibi-Usa.  
  
Laughing, Usagi shook her head. "Gomen,  
Chibi-Usa-chan, demo the only way to get to the penthouse  
is through a special key that Ami-chan lent me. Otherwise,  
we wouldn't have been able to get through the main door  
without Ami-chan buzzing us in." Chibi-Usa's face fell.  
"Demo how about I let you turn the key?" Instantly,  
Chibi-Usa's face brightened as she nodded enthusiastically.  
  
The door of the elevator slid open smoothly as a  
*DING* announced their arrival at the top floor. Walking  
through the front entry hall, Usagi used the key to open  
the main door to the apartment.  
  
"Keiko-san! Ami-chan! I brought your special  
guest!" called out Usagi. Removing her shoes before she  
entered the apartment, she motioned for Mamoru and  
Chibi-Usa to follow suit. Both Mamoru and Chibi-Usa's  
eyes were as wide as saucers. Neither of them had ever  
seen an apartment so fine as the Mizuno's. There was plush  
white carpeting on the floor instead of the usual plain  
wooden floor. Paintings adorned the walls, most of them  
related to nature. Leather couches, big screen TV,  
surround sound speakers...the place screamed "expensive."  
Both straightened when two heads popped out from around the  
corner.  
  
"Usagi-chan! Gomen about the wait..." Ami's voice  
trailed off. "Chiba-san! I did not realize that you were  
here."  
  
Mamoru bowed to the two women respectfully.  
"Mizuno-san, Ami-san. Konnbanwa." The two Mizuno women  
returned his greeting.  
  
Chibi-Usa bowed after the adults were settled in.  
"Keiko-mama, Ami-onee-chan, arigato for allowing me to  
stay with you while they try to find me a permanent  
home."  
  
Keiko smiled. "Little one, why don't I show you  
to your room?"  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded and took Keiko's hand. "Hai,  
Keiko-mama. Demo, I'm not little one anymore. Watashi wa  
Usagi, Chibi-Usa for short."  
  
Keiko glanced at Usagi in surprise. When she  
nodded, Keiko looked back at Chibi-Usa. "O.k. Chibi-Usa,  
why don't you take a look at your new room and see if you  
like it?" The two disappeared into the apartment.  
  
Usagi, Mamoru and Ami watched as the two left.  
Ami then turned her attention back to her remaining  
guests. "Arigato, Chiba-san, Usagi-chan, for bringing  
Chibi-Usa here. Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
Usagi immediately shook her head. "Gomen,  
Ami-chan, demo I have to go back home. Here are your keys.  
Shingo wants me to read a paper of his and he'll want me  
to cook some dinner for his long night of studying ahead."  
  
Seeing Usagi roll her eyes jokingly, Ami giggled.  
"Hai, Usagi-chan. I understand. Chiba-san, what about you?"  
  
Mamoru, too, refused. "Gomen Ami-san. I have class  
tomorrow and I have some work left to do back at home.  
Arigato gozaimasu for offering though."  
  
Ami nodded. Walking Usagi and Mamoru all the way  
to the elevator, Ami and Usagi made some small talk before  
the elevator whisked Mamoru and Usagi away.  
  
Finally in the privacy of the elevator, Mamoru  
let out a low whistle. "I did not know that the Mizuno's  
were so well off."  
  
Usagi shrugged. "Hai. Mizuno-san is a well-known  
painter while Dr. Mizuno has a nice job at Tokyo Hospital."  
  
"I am surprised that they would want to take  
Chibi-Usa in," Mamoru reflected. "After all, wouldn't  
Dr. Mizuno be busy most of the time and Mizuno-san would  
want it quiet to do his painting."  
  
Usagi looked away, uncomfortable. "Ano...  
Mizuno-san doesn't live with Ami-chan. He and Dr. Mizuno  
were divorced a long time ago."  
  
"Oh." Mamoru did not know what else to say.  
  
"Hai, Ami-chan has not had the most wonderful of  
lives, but she has done much for herself," Usagi said.  
The elevator doors slid open, revealing the lobby. "Well,  
Mamoru-kun, I'll be seeing you at the hospital." Usagi  
turned to leave for her house.  
  
"Chotto matte, Usagi-chan." Usagi stopped and  
turned around, puzzled. "I have to walk you to your home."  
  
Usagi smiled as she waved a hand around. "It's ok,  
Mamoru-kun. I don't live that far from here."  
  
Mamoru shook his head. "Iie, Princess. A kishi  
never leaves his mission unfinished."  
  
Giggling, Usagi replied, "Demo, did you not say  
that you had work waiting for you back home? You have  
already taken the time to walk Chibi-Usa and me here. I  
really don't need an escort back home. I'll be fine."  
  
'You think that I'd let a beautiful lady like  
you walk around at night without an escort? Think of  
all the dangers that face you: mice, bugs, bogeymen, and  
handsome young men waiting to whisk you away from me,'  
said the Voice.  
  
"The work I have left at home won't take that  
long. Besides," he cleared his throat, "I like talking to  
you. At my apartment, only work waits for me. Books  
don't make much conversation." Mamoru prayed that Usagi  
would not notice the slight tremor in his voice.  
  
Usagi looked at Mamoru quizzically. Nervous  
that she might refuse, Mamoru's heart began to beat even  
faster than before. Before he could faint, Usagi said,  
"No, I suppose they don't. O.k. brave kishi, lead the  
way." Letting out a sigh of relief, Mamoru again offered  
his arm to Usagi, who took it after giggling at his  
heroics. As they walked to the Tsukino house in the  
Juuban district, the couple enjoyed the nighttime air  
and the pleasant company.  
  
"Well, this is my home. Would you like to come  
in?" Usagi asked as she paused before the front door.  
  
Mamoru shook his head. "Arigato demo I should be  
going. I think that your brother," he blushed slightly,  
recalling his previous reaction to seeing the young man  
back at Hikawa Jinja, "might be waiting for his dinner."  
  
Putting her key into the lock, Usagi looked at  
Mamoru and laughed. "Young men are always hungry,  
Mamoru-kun. You should not be surprised, being a young  
man yourself."  
  
Thanking Kami that it was dark enough to hide  
his blush, he thought, 'This is the first time Usagi has  
viewed me as a man. Perhaps she'll see me in a new light  
other than the old tease of her past. Maybe she might  
even see me as a -GULP- desirable young man.'  
  
(A.N. Hmph. If Usagi doesn't see him as such, I know an  
entire mailing list of people who do...)  
  
As Usagi was about to step inside her home, she  
stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. "I forgot,  
Mamoru-kun. I wanted to give you my number, in case I  
was not at the hospital and something happened to any of  
the patients like Nanami." She began to rummage through  
her purse. "Now I know that I have a pen and a piece of  
paper in here." Digging out a pen, she continued her  
search. "Now where is a piece of paper?"  
  
The Voice began to jump up and down furiously.  
'I HAVE A PLAN!! I HAVE A PLAN!! YOU BAKA!!! LISTEN TO  
MY PLAN!!!!!!!!!' All his jumping actually dislodged  
Self-Control from its place and the Voice took advantage  
of the meddlesome twerp's momentary disappearance.  
  
"Ano, Usagi-chan? Why don't you just write it on  
my hand?" Mamoru stuck out his hand, praying to Kami that  
it wasn't sweaty due to his nervousness.  
  
Usagi took Mamoru's larger hand into her own. Her  
warm fingers gripped his thumb as her delicate right hand  
began to write the numbers on his palm. Her touch was  
sending every single nerve in Mamoru's body into shock.  
  
'She's touching me...wow...her hands are so soft  
and so beautiful,' he thought.  
  
As Usagi was bent over her task, one of her long  
streamers of hair slipped from her shoulder and gently  
brushed against Mamoru's arm. Shivers ran a marathon up  
and down his spine. But before Mamoru could fully enjoy  
the moment, Usagi had finished writing down her number.  
  
"Arigato gozaimasu, Mamoru-kun for walking me  
home and your help earlier with Chibi-Usa. Don't tire  
yourself with your school work!" And with a gentle click,  
Usagi disappeared into her house.  
  
Mamoru stared at the door in mute disbelief for  
a minute. In a hazy daze, he began to walk toward the  
hospital to pick up his car. His left hand cradled his  
right hand, where Usagi had written her number, like it  
was made of delicate glass. As he passed other pedestrians,  
people smiled at the young man so obviously in love.  
  
*Tokyo Hospital-Next Day*  
  
"Chiba! Have you been listening to a word I have  
said these past 21 minutes and 13 seconds?" snapped  
Dr. Hongo.  
  
Coming out of his reverie, Mamoru nodded. "Hai,  
Hongo-san."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Dr. Hongo leaned back in her  
chair and clasped her hands together. "Oh? Then what have  
I been talking about?"  
  
'Shimatta!!' Mamoru racked his mind, trying to  
come up with what the doctor had just been speaking about.  
"The upcoming dinner meeting?" He cringed. The doctor  
was going to be furious if he got this wrong.  
  
"Very lucky guess, Chiba." Mamoru let out a quiet  
sigh of relief. "As you are aware, one of your professors  
and I need to meet with you to discuss some things. Since  
it is your meeting, have you decided where we are going  
to meet?"  
  
Mamoru nodded. "I thought that I was treat you and  
the sensei to a home cooked meal at my apartment. The  
private setting would allow more privacy and a better  
conversational environment. What do you think, Hongo-san?"  
  
Dr. Hongo gave a small nod of approval. "That  
would be acceptable, Chiba. I'll get in touch with your  
professor and we'll be there at 18:00 sharp. You may  
leave now and make whatever preparations you think are  
necessary." Having said her piece, Dr. Hongo returned to  
the patient files that sat on her desk.  
  
Mamoru left the hospital and quickly drove to the  
grocery store. Buying some fresh ingredients for a meal,  
he returned to his apartment.  
  
'It is 14:00 now. That means I have enough time  
to make sure my apartment is neat, iron my suit, and make  
dinner. Things should go just fine,' he thought.  
  
Famous last thoughts.  
  
For Kami-knows what reason, things were just not  
going his way. Perhaps he was just too nervous because  
this meeting with Dr. Hongo and his professor was going to  
be crucial to his future. Knowing the doctor, this meeting  
was not going to go well for him. Or perhaps some unknown  
force out there just enjoyed tormenting him. Whatever the  
reason, his attempts were quickly giving way to failure.  
At first, the elevator was being worked on in his  
building. As he took the numerous flights of stairs that  
would take him to his apartment, the grocery bags that he  
was carrying broke, releasing their contents all over the  
staircase. Various round objects rolled all the way down  
the flights of stairs Mamoru had just had to huff and puff  
his way up. After retrieving the wayward items, Mamoru  
discovered that an hour had already passed. Knowing that  
his apartment was most likely spotless, Mamoru allowed  
himself the luxury of not cleaning before company came.  
He set out to iron his suit but a phone call from his  
old research partner from Harvard took his attention  
away from the ironing board. When he finally returned,  
Mamoru's nice black suit was nothing more than a pile of  
ashes on a flaming ironing board. Mamoru quickly panicked  
and doused the flames with the water from his vase of  
roses. Unfortunately, his bedroom now had a big black  
mess in it. Pulling at his hair in frustration, he  
realized that he had only two hours before Dr. Hongo  
would arrive. Closing the door to his bedroom, he  
prayed that neither his professor nor Dr. Hongo would  
want to see the view from his balcony. Racing into the  
kitchen, Mamoru began to cook dinner. Oddly enough,  
the gas stove would not light, no matter how many times  
Mamoru kicked it or cursed at it. It was too late to  
order a quality meal now. The only thing he could order  
would be fast food and Mamoru did not think that his  
professor or Dr. Hongo would be impressed with that.  
Knowing that time was ticking away, Mamoru did the only  
thing he could.  
  
He screamed.  
  
Clutching his little black book, Mamoru flipped  
through the pages, hoping to find a single good restaurant  
that might be willing to help him out.  
  
"Tanaka's?" He dialed the number.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Chiba-san, demo we don't do take  
out." With that the waiter hung up.  
  
Mamoru quickly found the next number in his phone  
book. Tsukino Usagi. He had meticulously copied her phone  
number into the book, neatly writing her name in kanji.  
He had to physically restrain himself from surrounding her  
name with little hearts. As a thirsty man views a glass  
of water, Mamoru stared at Usagi's number. Activating his  
cordless phone, he punched in the numbers and prayed that  
she would be home.  
  
"Moshi moshi?" answered the voice of Mamoru's  
Tenshi.  
  
"Usagi-chan? Mamoru desu. Tastukete!" Mamoru  
then promptly began to related his pitiful tale to his  
Tenshi.  
  
An hour later, half an hour before Dr. Hongo and  
his professor arrived, Mamoru threw opened the door and  
dragged Usagi inside his apartment. Usagi gently placed  
the bags down and quickly removed her jacket.  
  
"Those little bags contain the food that Mako-chan  
made for me. The suit bag contains one of Shingo's suits."  
Pushing the suit bag into Mamoru's arms, she directed him  
toward his room. "Go take a shower and put that on while I  
take care of dinner." Mamoru obediently made his way to his  
bathroom and began to change shower.  
  
Meanwhile, Usagi jumped into action in the kitchen.  
Looking through Mamoru's cabinets, she took out some  
serving platters and began to dish out some of the wonderful  
dishes Makoto had prepared. She carefully wiped the low  
table clean and placed some of his prettier cushions around  
the table. After about fifteen minutes, she had everything  
ready for dinner. Looking at Mamoru's torn grocery bags,  
she sighed then began to put the food into their proper  
storage places. Still hearing the shower running, Usagi  
began to clean up the charred remains of the ironing board  
and Mamoru's suit.  
  
As she was cleaning the last bit up, Mamoru emerged  
from the shower, hair damp, his only clothing a towel wrapped  
around his waist.  
  
(A.N. Back girls, back I say! He's a taken man! And no, don't  
send me threatening email. He's not mine. I do believe that  
both Usagi and Naoko have a claim on him. Go talk to them!)  
  
"Usagi-chan!" he exclaimed in surprise.  
  
Usagi looked up from the mess and promptly averted  
her eyes as a fierce blush over took her face. "Gomen nasai,  
Mamoru-kun. I thought that I would have this mess cleaned up  
before you got out of the shower. Gomen nasai..." and *ZOOM*  
Usagi beat a hasty retreat from his room.  
  
Mamoru grinned. Hehe...Usagi was so nervous and it  
was all because of him. At least that meant that Usagi, in  
some way, found him attractive. Maybe this day wouldn't turn  
out so horribly after all. Looking to make sure the door was  
closed, Mamoru began to quickly change into the borrowed  
suit. Thank Kami that Usagi's brother was about his size.  
  
Outside, Usagi held her hands to her flaming cheeks.  
'Kami-sama, I've seen Mamoru-kun naked! Well, just about  
naked. I never should have been in his room without his  
permission.' Unbidden, the image of the towel-wearing  
Mamoru returned to her mind's eye. 'He sure looked good  
though. Muscular chest and arms...' Usagi's expression  
turned from embarrassed to shock. 'What am I thinking? I can't  
be attracted to him. I won't be.'  
  
The turning of the doorknob forced Usagi to pull  
herself together. Seeing Mamoru again, she tried to apologize  
again.  
  
"Daijobu, Usagi-chan. I know that you were only trying  
to help and you coming over here has saved my career," Mamoru  
began. "You don't have anything to apologize for." He flashed  
her a grin in order to reassure her.  
  
Usagi nodded. "O.k. Mamoru-kun. The food is ready for  
you to serve. Just remove the lids that I put on them to keep  
warm. You have about fifteen minutes before company arrives  
and everything is ready." Usagi looked at him critically.  
"Well, almost everything. Mamoru, you didn't do the tie  
properly."  
  
Mamoru gave Usagi an embarrassed grin. "I don't know  
how to tie one of these things neatly." He pulled at the tie.  
"Besides, they are always so uncomfortable. They feel tight  
around my neck."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Men are such babies. Women  
have to endure childbirth and they whine about ties!"  
Usagi strode up to Mamoru and began to redo the tie for him.  
"There, done!" She looked up into his eyes and froze.  
  
Blue met blue as the two stared into each other's  
eyes. Time stopped and the world disappeared from their  
notice. Usagi suddenly noticed how close they were, her hands  
still on his tie, her face merely inches from his. Mamoru held  
his breath. For a long time now, he had wanted to be this  
close to his Usagi. He fought the urge to just grab Usagi and  
start devouring her with kisses. Even a child could see that  
Usagi was frightened of the emotions that were raging within  
her, emotions that were clamoring to be free. Usagi licked her  
lips nervously.  
  
That proved to break Mamoru's control. That innocent  
Usagi-gesture caused Mamoru's heart to leap and his lips to  
scream for hers. Usagi's breathing quickened and her eyes  
fluttered shut as Mamoru gently put his hands on her shoulders  
and drew her closer to him. Finally, Mamoru would be able to  
express his love for Usagi with this oh-so-simple-yet-beautiful  
act.  
  
Translations:  
ano- um...  
chotto matte- wait a minute  
daijobu- are you ok?/I'm fine/It's ok  
honto ne- really?  
kawaii- cute  
kishi- knight  
moshi moshi- greeting to answer the phone  
___ desu- This is ___.  
sugoi- cool  
tastukete- help me  
watashi wa ___- I am ___  
  
Author Notes:  
  
I switched the times to military time instead of the  
usually a.m./p.m. stuff because I do believe that Japan runs on  
24-hour version of the clock. Basically, 14:00 corresponds to  
2:00 p.m. Just thought I'd let you know...  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	12. Games of Love

*Disclaimer: BSSM is not mine, plain and simple.  
  
*********************************************************  
That proved to break Mamoru's control. That innocent  
Usagi-gesture caused Mamoru's heart to leap and his lips  
to scream for hers. Usagi's breathing quickened and her  
eyes fluttered shut as Mamoru gently put his hands on her  
shoulders and drew her closer to him. Finally, Mamoru  
would be able to express his love for Usagi with this  
oh-so-simple-yet-beautiful act.  
*********************************************************  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 11: Games of Love  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
You know, sometimes Mamoru really hated Dr.  
Hongo with a passion. Usually, she was just a brutal task  
master, someone that had rather high expectations of him.  
During those times, Mamoru could handle her. Then there  
were other times that Mamoru absolutely cursed her  
existence.  
  
Why was Mamoru thinking about Dr. Hongo at such a  
life-altering moment? Why was he even thinking of anything  
else except kissing Usagi? Dr. Hongo was in Mamoru's  
thoughts, dear readers, because she had done something so  
horrible, so cruel, so evil to him that, for a brief moment,  
Usagi was the furthest thing from his mind. What did Dr.  
Hongo do, you ask?  
  
She rang the doorbell.  
  
*DING DONG*  
  
The horrid chime jolted Usagi and Mamoru out of  
their dream world and back into reality. Usagi, looking  
at the position she was in, ripped herself away from  
Mamoru as if she had been burned. Her thoughts were all  
a jumble as she quickly fumbled for her coat. What had  
she done? Eyes filling with tears, she hurriedly slipped  
on her shoes and opened the door. Muttering a quick  
'gomen' to the surprised Dr. Hongo and professor standing  
in the open doorway, Usagi ran toward the still open  
elevator and made a quick disappearance, leaving an  
utterly mystified Mamoru standing like an idiot with his  
mouth hanging open. All three were staring at the closed  
elevator doors in a stupor. Eventually, Mamoru collected  
his wits and invited the two doctors into his apartment.  
  
*Two Hours Later*  
  
Mamoru closed the door behind his professor. The  
dinner had gone reasonably well and his professor left  
after congratulating Mamoru on his good progress. Now,  
only Dr. Hongo remained. Mamoru returned to his living  
room where Dr. Hongo remained sitting on the couch.  
Sitting in the armchair, Mamoru waited to see what Dr.  
Hongo wanted to say to him.  
  
"Chiba, I must agree, if somewhat reluctantly,  
with your professor," began Dr. Hongo as she took another  
sip of her coffee. "You are making excellent progress  
towards becoming a doctor. Your studies are proceeding  
very well and you have acquired quite a reputation as  
an intern at the hospital."  
  
Mamoru politely thanked Dr. Hongo while thinking,  
'Demo...I can feel that there is going to be a demo in  
this conversation somewhere.'  
  
"Demo, Chiba, I want to warn you of one thing."  
Dr. Hongo placed her mug on the coffee table and turned  
her ice-green eyes on Mamoru. "I am not speaking to you  
as a superior to a intern. I am not even speaking to  
you as doctor to intern. I am speaking strictly as a  
friend of Usagi's. Do not get closer to Usagi. You are  
only going to wind up hurting her."  
  
Mamoru stared at Dr. Hongo in surprise before  
his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. Rising to his feet,  
Mamoru glared at Dr. Hongo with his fists clenched at  
his side. "Dr. Hongo, with all due respect, keep your  
damn nose out of my personal affairs. I have no  
intention of ever hurting Usagi. I do not care if you  
think that you have every right to butt into our lives,  
but what type of relationship Usagi and I have is no  
concern of yours."  
  
Dr. Hongo rose to her feet as well and regarded  
Mamoru with cold eyes. In an arctic voice, she said,  
"You might not have any intention of hurting Usagi but  
by making her fall in love with you, you are. You might  
not even know it, but you hurt her. And I will not  
forgive you for hurting her." Turning, Dr. Hongo grabbed  
her things and walked out of Mamoru's apartment without  
saying anything more.  
  
Mamoru looked at the closed door, still seething  
in anger. Who in the world did that woman think she is?  
She knew nothing of the deep feelings he had for Usagi  
nor of how long he had loved her, ever since she had  
given him that rose in the hospital so many years ago.  
He would never hurt her. It was his job to protect her,  
to love her and to cherish her. And nothing was going  
to stop him.  
  
*Tsukino Household*  
  
Usagi still lay on her bed, curled up into a  
fetal position. They had almost kissed. Oh Kami-sama,  
what was happening to her? A relationship was not  
something that Usagi needed right now. When had Mamoru  
gotten past her guard and made her have feelings for  
him? He had tormented her with his hurtful comments  
about her hair, her grades, everything she  
beat herself up about. This was the man that she had  
hated in her adolescent years. Usagi stilled at that  
thought. Had she hated him? Deep down in side, past  
all her annoyance and supposed anger, there had been  
an undercurrent...an intangible something. But Usagi  
never stopped yelling at Mamoru to figure out what it  
was. When he was going to leave for Harvard and Motoki  
had asked her to help arrange his surprise going away  
party, why had Usagi jumped at the chance? Back then,  
Usagi thought it was because Motoki-onii-chan had asked  
her to do a favor for him and because she was so glad  
to get rid of Mamoru-baka. But when the party was done  
and Mamoru said goodbye to her and Motoki at the arcade,  
why did her heart suddenly ache? When she saw him again  
at the hospital, why did her heart suddenly leap for  
joy. Usagi gasped then groaned into her pillow. Oh Kami,  
she had a silly schoolgirl's crush on Mamoru for the  
longest time. She just never admitted it to herself,  
nor let herself look past the teasing and arguments.  
And now that they had both grown up, her feelings had  
developed into something that could potentially threaten  
her peace of mind. In her condition, developing a  
relationship with anyone would be emotionally harmful  
to both her and the other party. She had to end this  
before it went away further. But what could she do to  
make Mamoru stop caring for her? And when he did stop  
caring, what could she do to stop her heart from  
breaking?  
  
*Next Day*  
  
Mamoru glared at his desk clock. Finally, the  
evil little hands pointed to the exact hour that Usagi's  
shift began. Running a quick hand through his hair to  
make sure he was presentable, Mamoru rushed toward  
the nurses station, eager to see Usagi again and make  
his feelings known in a more concrete way.  
  
The Voice raised it's little pom-poms into the  
air. 'You GO boy! Finally! You'll admit your feelings  
for the beautiful Odango goddess, then you'll get your  
much anticipated kiss, and then, it's off to the  
honeymoon.' The Voice dropped the pom-poms and began to  
drool again as a little thought bubble formed over its  
head. Self-Control hastily pasted a censored sign over  
the bubble as it nervously dragged the Voice away,  
mumbling, 'Gomen, gomen, minna.' Turning toward the  
drooling Voice, it said, 'Baka, there are children  
reading these things.'  
  
'Not likely,' snorted the Voice. 'I highly doubt  
anyone is reading this author's works.'  
  
Self-Control rolled its eyes. 'Granted, demo  
there is a _chance_ that a child could read this. Now,  
go into the dark where no one see those eechi thoughts.'  
  
Nurse Kaneshiro looked at Mamoru in amusement.  
"Gomen nasai, Chiba-san, demo Usagi has already left  
for her rounds." Before he even finished his sentence,  
Mamoru had already tossed a hurried, "Arigato," and  
had disappeared around the corner. Nurse Kaneshiro  
shook his head. "You'd think that Chiba would realize  
by now that Usagi isn't interested in him. Oh well, I  
guess that means more competition for me."  
  
Mamoru dashed towards the patient's room. Usagi  
should be there. He rounded another corner and there  
she was, just exiting the room. Mamoru slid to a stop  
in front of a startled Usagi.  
  
*GASP* "Usagi-chan," *WHEEZE* "I have been  
wanting to" *PANT* "talk to you all day." Mamoru took  
in a greedy lungful of air. "Could we step into my  
office?"  
  
Regaining her composure, Usagi schooled her  
features to look as cold as possible. "Gomen,  
Chiba-san, demo I do not have any time. I must continue  
my rounds. If you will excuse me." Usagi turned away  
from a shocked Mamoru and went to the next room.  
  
Mamoru stared at her disappearing figure in  
confusion. What in the world had just happened? Usagi  
was so cold. It seemed as if every ounce of caring  
that she normally had had been drained away from her  
body. Shaking his head, Mamoru waited by the door to  
the hospital room. Usagi owed him an explanation for  
her behavior and he was determined to get one. He was  
so determined that he didn't notice Ami trying to get  
his attention until the young woman practically yell  
in his ear.  
  
"Mamoru-san!" Mamoru finally turned his  
attention to Ami. "Mamoru-san, what are you doing out  
here? Dr. Hongo has told me that she wants to know  
where in the world are the completed patient reports."  
  
Torn, Mamoru contemplated facing Dr. Hongo's  
wrath or confronting Usagi. Sighing, he knew that  
his talk with Usagi could wait, and Mamoru nodded.  
"Arigato, Ami-san, for telling me. I'll go see her  
directly. Could you do me a favor, however? Could you  
please inform Usagi-chan that I would like to speak  
to her at her earliest convenience?" Taking one last  
look at the still closed door, Mamoru made his way  
to his office to quickly finish the reports.  
  
As soon as he left, Ami rapped gently on the  
door and whispered, "Usagi-chan? He's gone now."  
Moments later, the door opened gently and a relieved  
Usagi slipped out of the room.  
  
Giving Ami a grateful smile, Usagi said,  
"Arigato, Ami-chan. I really appreciate you doing  
that for me."  
  
Ami shook her head dismissively. "No need  
for thanks, Usagi-chan. I am only too happy to help  
you out in any way that I can. Demo, are you sure  
that avoiding him like this is a good idea?"  
  
Usagi shook her head ever so slightly. "I  
honestly do not know, Ami-chan. Demo I know that he  
can not have feelings for me. This charade is for  
his own good."  
  
Ami gave a resigned sigh. "If you are sure,  
Usagi-chan. If you think this is best for the both  
of you, then I'll help you."  
  
Usagi gave Ami a little hug. "Of course this  
is for the best, Ami-chan. How can I let him fall  
in love with me when I'm going to die?" 'How can  
I love him when I know there is no future for us?'  
she added, silently.  
  
Translations (nothing new, just the usual):  
ano- um...  
arigato (gozaimasu)- thank you (very much)  
demo- but  
gomen (nasai)- I'm sorry  
onii-chan- affectionate way of addressing an older  
brother(or close older male friend)  
  
Author Notes:  
  
College has already begun and the Cycle of Tears  
begins again for me. I'll be working hard this year so  
new chapters will be slower (hehe...not that they weren't  
already -_-!). But I promise to finish this series, even  
if most people aren't interested in the story anymore.  
I owe it to those few new friends that have given me so  
much encouragement.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	13. Namida no Shoujo

*Disclaimer: If I owned Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, I would  
be working on making the new season right now. As you can see,  
I'm not. Therefore, draw your own conclusions.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 12: Namida no Shoujo (The Girl of Tears)  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
*Few Days Later*  
  
Mamoru was extremely annoyed. We're talking about  
facial ticking, steam emitting ears, hair pulling and pulse  
mark appearing anger. For the past few days, Usagi had been  
avoiding him. Every time he thought that he had finally  
cornered her, someone would interrupt and keep him from  
talking to Usagi. Even when he tried to return the suit she  
had lent to him, Mamoru did not get to actually talk to  
Usagi. As soon as he knocked on her door, Rei opened it,  
grabbed the suit bag, said a quick, 'Konn'wa, Mamoru-san,  
Usagi-chan's busy making dinner, I'll tell her you dropped  
by, ja,' and slammed the door in his face. Those rare times  
that he was alone with Usagi, they had to take care of a  
patient.  
  
Kicking his desk, Mamoru slumped into the leather  
chair dejectedly. 'Why would she avoid me? I need to talk  
to her about what almost happened at the apartment.' He was  
not blind, despite his all-consuming love for Usagi. That  
night, as she fled his place, Mamoru could see that she  
had been afraid of what might have happened had the doorbell  
not rung. 'She wanted it to happen, but she was also afraid  
of letting it happen, like she was losing control. Why  
would Usako be so frightened of me?'  
  
Both Self-Control and the Voice raised an eyebrow.  
'Usako?'  
  
Mamoru blushed. After almost kissing Usagi, that  
little nickname just popped into his mind. Of course, he  
still had yet to actually call Usagi "Usako" but he already  
began to think of her as HIS little bunny.  
  
The Voice jabbed Self-Control in the ribs. 'Usako?  
When in the world did this little development take place?  
You have been hiding information from me, haven't you?!?!'  
  
Self-Control waved a disinterested hand in the  
Voice's direction. 'I do not need to keep you informed of  
all the developments in Mamoru's life.'  
  
Voice bristled in anger, but before he could do  
anything, Self-Control stopped him. 'Can you save it for  
another time? We need to analyze Usagi's behavior. It is  
rather odd for this to be happening. I believe it's time  
to bring out the experts.'  
  
Self-Control and the Voice faded as Logic and  
Intuition appeared. Logic, adjusting the tiny glasses on  
his SD face, stuck out its hand toward Intuition. 'Ready?'  
Intuition nodded as it grasped Logic's hand.  
  
'Usako wanted us to kiss. Her every expression,  
breath, movement told me that. But somewhere, buried deep  
within her heart, was a fear. An almost paralyzing fear of  
me. Rather, a fear of...' Mamoru rubbed his temples. 'It  
felt so much like a fear of being loved and loving someone  
else in return. I know that was the emotion she was feeling.  
I've felt it so many times in the past. Demo, doushite?'  
Mamoru remembered how Usako and her friends used to talk  
out loud at the Crown about how they all wished a handsome  
young man would come and sweep them off their feet. He also  
remembered himself, sitting at the counter, watching Usagi's  
every movement with an intense longing and a deep resentment  
at the same time. Mamoru would have given everything to be  
like Usagi, able to show her emotions without fear of being  
hurt or abandoned. 'Usako is not the type to fear loving  
another person. After all, she offered to become my friend,  
didn't she?'  
  
Voice snorted, popping its head back into the  
picture briefly. 'And we all know that offering to be your  
friend took immense courage on her part. You're about as  
friendly as a porcupine.'  
  
Logic, ignoring the Voice's brief appearance, cleared  
its throat. 'This fear that Usako seems to have shown at our  
last encounter means that the events that happened to her  
during our absence has had a deeper effect upon her than we  
previously thought.'  
  
At this point, Intuition piped up. 'Well, from the  
facts presented, we can only speculate that the deaths of  
her parents are what has caused this fear of becoming  
romantically involved. Demo I feel as if there is something  
else, something that we do not know yet, that is holding  
Usako back.'  
  
'Hai, that seems to be a good guess. The death of  
her parents caused her sadness, demo her fear of love does  
not seem to be a result of that. If it was the cause, Usako  
would not want to become involved with anyone else for fear  
that they would die and leave her. Iie, there must be  
something else that Ami did not tell us, something Usako is  
hiding.' Logic and Intuition both nodded solemnly.  
  
Mamoru pounded his fist on his desk. Why was everyone  
giving him the run around and not telling him the truth about  
Usako? Was she lying to him? Well, the only thing Mamoru was  
sure of, he was going to find out Usako's secret.  
  
*Next Day*  
  
"Usagi! Usagi-chan!"  
  
Usagi spun around, surprised to hear Ami's voice  
yelling her name. "Ami-chan, daijobu? What's wrong?"  
  
Ami placed both hands on her knees as she panted  
slightly. Usagi gave her some time to catch her breath.  
After a few moments, Ami finally straightened her posture.  
"Usagi-chan, Dr. Hongo asked me to find you and remind you  
that your appointment is in half an hour."  
  
Usagi nodded, curtly. "Hai. Arigato." As she turned  
to leave, Ami placed a gentle hand on Usagi's tightly  
clenched one.  
  
"Usagi-chan? Have you been feeling alright lately?"  
Ami did not want to pry, but she was really concerned over  
Usagi's health lately. The stress of avoiding Mamoru and  
ill health seemed to make Usagi more quiet and withdrawn  
than usual.  
  
Usagi paused, but did not turn to face Ami. Both  
were silent for a long moment. "Ami-chan, when I find out  
for sure, I will tell you and minna everything. All I  
have right now are guesses." Ami nodded sadly and let  
Usagi continue on her way. She knew that Usagi would tell  
her when she was ready to.  
  
'Kami-sama,' Ami thought. 'Onegai, let the test  
show that Usagi is alright. Onegai, do not let us hear any  
bad news.'  
  
*Laboratory*  
  
Usagi stepped into the waiting room. The nurse at  
the desk looked up from her charts, noticed that Usagi had  
arrived, and motioned for Usagi to go immediately into the  
lab.  
  
Knocking on the door, Usagi said, "Ayanami, is  
that you? Usagi desu. I'm here for my appointment."  
  
Dr. Hongo looked up from the instrument panel.  
"Usagi-chan? Come in." Entering the room, Usagi closed and  
locked the door, as she always did for her appointments.  
Dr. Hongo did not even have to tell Usagi what to do. Usagi  
immediately headed for the cabinets, grabbed a paper gown  
and changed out of her uniform and into the gown in the  
changing area. Coming out from behind the partition, Usagi  
headed to the gigantic machine that was in the middle of  
the room.  
  
Dr. Hongo stood next to Usagi as Usagi laid down.  
"Usagi-chan, you know the drill. I'll be getting the lab  
technician to run the scan. After that, you can go back  
to your duties."  
  
Usagi nodded from her position on the cold tablet.  
She knew exactly what to expect. After all, she had done  
this numerous times. When Dr. Hongo left after giving  
Usagi a reassuring smile, Usagi promptly closed her eyes  
tightly. She hated this machine. Every month, for a year  
now, she would have to come in, change into a drafty paper  
gown, lie down on the cold, disinfected table, and get  
scanned to see how far the cancer had progressed. Every  
month, around the time for her appointment, she and her  
friends would hold their breath, preparing to hear the  
worst and cautiously hoping for the best. For the past few  
months, Usagi and her friends had been able to release that  
breath when an all clear sign came from the tests. But  
eventually that luck would run out...  
  
The hum of the machine stopped and the lab  
technician came and told Usagi that everything was  
finished. Thankful that the awful process had been  
completed, Usagi changed back into her uniform and went  
back to her duties.  
  
*Hospital Grounds*  
  
Usagi pushed Nanami's wheelchair slowly, letting  
the young girl enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.  
Nanami, seeing that some of her schoolmates had arrived  
to visit, waved to them and soon was surrounded by a few  
giggling friends. They began to chat animatedly about  
the latest anime series.  
  
Smiling, Usagi walked away and sat next to the  
fountain. Grateful for the rest, Usagi ran her fingers  
through the cool water. Looking at her somewhat pale  
reflection, Usagi frowned. Lately, she had been more  
tired than usual. She hoped that her exhaustion was  
merely the result of an oncoming cold or because of the  
stress of avoiding Mamoru.  
  
Mamoru-chan...That man was constantly in Usagi's  
thoughts. She felt horrible about being so cold to him  
but there was no other way to handle the situation. She  
could not let anything happen between them. Her thoughts  
wandered to a few years ago. Rei-chan, Ami-chan, Mako-chan,  
Mina-P and she were all at the Crown, taking a break from  
their studies. As they sat in the booth, Motoki came over  
with a few drinks. Usagi, Rei and Ami watched with laughing  
eyes as both Makoto and Minako flirted with Motoki. After  
a good laugh, Motoki left them to attend to his other  
customers.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Ne, Usagi-chan," said Minako, after taking a sip  
of her soda. "How are studies coming along?"  
  
Usagi choked slightly on her ice cream, but after  
a small cough, said, "Alright, I guess, Mina-P."  
  
Rei twirled her straw between her fingers. "I can  
not believe that you are already studying for the high  
school entrance exams. It is way too early for you to be  
even thinking about them."  
  
Makoto nodded. "Hai, Usagi-chan. Have you been  
spending too much time with our little Ami-chan here?"  
Grinning, Makoto poked Ami's side as the girl looked up  
surprised from her textbook.  
  
"Hai, studying is so boring." Minako made a face.  
"At our age, we should be thinking about boys, not books!"  
  
The rest of the group sweatdropped. Leave it to  
Minako to think about boys at a time like this.  
  
"Ano, Mina-P..." began Usagi. "Do you think of  
anything else besides boys? What about your dreams for  
the future?"  
  
"Of course, Usagi-chan!" Minako clasped her hands  
together dramatically and gazed woefully at the ceiling.  
"I want to be a famous actress!"  
  
Rei rolled her eyes at yet another instance of  
Minako's over-dramatic acting. "You could have fooled me!"  
  
As the two argues, Makoto continued the conversation  
with Usagi. "How about you, Usagi-chan? You always said  
that you wanted to be a bride? Have you found the right  
man yet?"  
  
Usagi blushed slightly and looked down at her  
lap. "Iie...that isn't my dream anymore."  
  
The bickering stopped. The textbook dropped from  
Ami's hands, unheeded. Makoto just stared at Usagi,  
open-mouthed.  
  
Usagi, looking at her friends, giggled. "Minna,  
it's not the end of the world."  
  
Rei interrupted. "Hai, it is. Since when did you  
change your mind? Ever since we've met, you've said that  
your dream was to, and I quote, 'be the bride to the most  
handsome and wonderful man in the world.'"  
  
Usagi's coloring deepened. "Well, I now have a  
different dream. Is that so bad?"  
  
The four other girls tightened around Usagi,  
eyes glittering hungrily.  
  
"What's your dream, Usagi-chan?" asked Minako.  
  
Usagi blushed even more. "Ano...I want to become  
a doctor." Usagi closed her eyes, waiting for the laughter  
of her friends. After a few moments, Usagi cautiously  
opened an eye, wondering why her friends hadn't started  
laughing yet.  
  
Ami smiled at Usagi's cautious expression. "That  
is a wonderful dream, Usagi-chan. I believe that you can  
do it!" Everyone else nodded at Ami's comment.  
  
Usagi shyly smiled. "Minna, you really think that  
I can make it as a doctor?" They nodded again. "Arigato,  
minna, for believing in me," Usagi said in a quiet voice.  
  
Minako gave Usagi a hug. "Demo Usagi-chan. It  
doesn't mean that you can't also dream of becoming a  
bride. It just means that you have two dreams to chase."  
  
Rei took a long drink of her soda. "Of course,  
Odango, I think that you should drop the dream about  
being a bride. After all, who would want an Odango Atama  
as a bride, even if she is a doctor." Rei's eyes twinkled  
mischievously, showing everyone that she was only teasing  
Usagi.  
  
Knowing that Rei was teasing, Usagi stuck her  
tongue out and blew Rei a raspberry. "Hmph, I'll show you,  
Rei-chan. My husband will be handsome, rich, caring,  
romantic and a doctor to boot!" No one noticed that Mamoru,  
sitting at the counter, had heard everything and was  
turning a very interesting shade of red.  
  
'I am reasonably good looking, financially stable,  
future doctor and I love my Odango,' said the Voice.  
  
Self-Control quickly ousted the Voice. 'Not now!!'  
  
Rolling up its sleeves, the Voice tackled  
Self-Control. 'Hai, NOW!!' The two battled for control  
as Mamoru listened to the girls, subconsciously hoping  
to hear more about Usagi's dream man.  
  
Blowing a raspberry in return, Rei teased, "Ha!  
Odango Atama, if you ever get a man like that interested  
in you, I'll...I'll..."  
  
"What are you going to do, Rei-chan?" taunted  
Usagi.  
  
"I'll marry Yuuichirou!" shouted Rei.  
  
Immediately, the four girls, including Ami,  
pressed closer to Rei and promptly began to tease the  
furiously sputtering Rei about what were her exact feelings  
for the temple apprentice.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Usagi let out a sigh. Back then, all that she thought  
about were trivial matters like getting a boyfriend. But  
then reality came crashing in, taking her parents away from  
her and ripping her safe world apart. Was there really a  
time where Usagi's only dream was to become a bride?  
  
'He'll be tall, in good shape, with piercing eyes  
and an electrifying smile.' Usagi once wrote these words in  
her journal. 'He'll have a good job and be responsible, yet  
have a good sense of humor. He'll be romantic, taking me for  
candlelight dinners and walks up Tokyo Tower. I'll be so in  
love, every time I see him, I'll feel like I'm falling in love  
all over again. His kisses will send me to the moon and back.  
During our walks, I'll be able to call him by my special  
nickname for him, something cute like...'  
  
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi whispered. Her heart skipped  
a beat. 'Mamo-chan? Where did that come from?' Usagi thought.  
'I do love you, Mamo-chan. Somehow, behind all the name  
calling and the teasing, I saw the real you, the vulnerable  
you. That's who I fell in love with and have loved ever  
since, the Mamo-chan underneath the coldness. Demo,  
kami-sama, I never thought...I never dreamed that you could  
feel the same way. When you left for America, I was so sad,  
demo I thought that I could finally move on, get over you.  
And I thought I did. Demo as soon as I saw you again at the  
hospital, I knew that I never had forgotten you. I never could  
have forgotten you.' Tears slid down her cheeks and into  
the fountain, causing the water to ripple. 'Demo it's too  
late now, Mamo-chan. I can never tell you what my heart feels.  
I can never let you love me.'  
  
Something warm and wet hit Usagi's hand. Thinking it  
was a tear, Usagi took out her handkerchief, wiped her tears,  
then moved to wiped the tear from her hand. But when she  
looked at her hand, she stopped. There, like a glaring reminder  
of her future, was a bright red spot of blood. Taking her white  
handkerchief, she touched the handkerchief to her nose. Looking  
at her reflection, Usagi watched in horror as blood stained her  
once pure white handkerchief.  
  
*Mamoru's Office*  
  
Mamoru sighed. It was close to the end of his shift.  
After he finished these patient files, Dr. Hongo said that  
he could go home. Mamoru glared at the clock. Usagi's shift  
had already started and ended for the day, but Dr. Hongo  
had kept him busy with reading test results and updating  
patient files.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted Mamoru as he typed  
up a report. "Come in," he said, angry that he had been  
interrupted.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Chiba-san, demo Hongo-san said that  
there were a few more tests that she wanted you to look at  
before you left," said the nurse.  
  
Mamoru wanted to scream but he calmly nodded at  
the nurse. After the nurse left, Mamoru let out a few  
choice words and then grabbed his lab coat and headed to  
the lab.  
  
Mamoru tapped the technician on the shoulder.  
"Gomen nasai, demo I came to pick up a few test results."  
  
The technician nodded. "You're Dr. Hongo's intern,  
right?" When Mamoru nodded, the technician pointed to the  
stack of large envelopes sitting at the edge of his desk.  
"Those are it, the last batch for Dr. Hongo."  
  
Mamoru nodded and picked up the pile of envelopes.  
Just as he was about to leave the lab to return to his  
office, the technician stopped him, waving another  
envelope.  
  
"Chotto matte!" Placing the envelope on the bottom  
of Mamoru's stack, the technician said, "That one was from  
today. I had told Dr. Hongo that it wouldn't be done  
until tomorrow demo the lab was relatively free of work  
and so I finished the test early."  
  
Mamoru nodded. "I'll inform the doctor about the  
test." Nodding, the technician returned to his work and  
Mamoru returned to his office.  
  
Closing the door behind him, Mamoru set the stack  
of envelopes on his desk. He quickly placed the correct  
envelopes with the proper patient files. There was only  
one file left.  
  
"Ano...that's odd. Dr. Hongo did not give me a  
patient file for this patient." Sliding out the scans,  
Mamoru hoped that by looking at them, he would realize  
which patient they belonged to. Placing them on the view  
screen, Mamoru looked at the scans. "Kami, poor person!"  
The scans revealed that the patient had a rare form of  
brain cancer. But that was not the worst of it. It seemed  
that the cancer had begun to spread and tumors had begun  
to appear on other organs. At this point, Mamoru knew that  
the patient had a very slim chance of surviving nor did he  
or she have very long to live. Shaking his head sadly at  
the poor person's fate, Mamoru looked at the front of the  
envelope to hopefully identify the doctor who ordered the  
tests, knowing that this was not one of Dr. Hongo's  
patients.  
  
"Iie..." he whispered, his hands tightening so  
much on the envelope that it began to tear. His face turned  
ashen in color and his whole body felt numb. "Iie! IIE!"  
he shouted, trying to deny the truth before his eyes.  
  
There, typed neatly onto the envelope, were the  
words "Tsukino Usagi."  
  
Translations:  
ano- um...  
chotto matte- wait a minute  
daijobu- are you ok?/I'm fine/It's ok  
doushite- why?  
___ desu- This is ___.  
  
Author Notes:  
  
None, really. Midterms in two weeks (ack...gag!)  
so delays are to be expected.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	14. Revelations

*Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is mine!! BWHAHAHA!  
::Self-Control bonks RS on the head:: @_@ ::sigh::  
Ok...I'm insane. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs  
to Takeuchi Naoko and numerous other powers, no matter  
how much I wish otherwise ^.^! ::Throws Self-Control  
off a cliff:: HAHAHA!!!!! I do, I really do own  
Sailor Moon! See the copyright? ::points to air::  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 13: Revelations  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/index.html  
  
*Next Day*  
  
Dr. Hongo closed the door of her car and hit  
the small button on her remote. The car responded with  
the traditional beep, informing her that the alarm was  
now armed. With her heels making small clicks that  
echoed in the relatively empty cement parking lot, Dr.  
Hongo entered the elevator that would take her to the  
oncology department of the hospital.  
Glancing at her watch, Dr. Hongo stood in the  
elevator impatiently. '04:57. On time, as usual. The  
techs should finish Usagi-chan's test today. Minna has  
been worried sick for two days already.' After saying  
hello to the night shift nurses, Dr. Hongo entered her  
office, hoping to complete some paperwork before the  
start of her shift. After hanging up her things, she  
looked at her desk, expecting to see a large pile of  
patient files. Instead, her immaculate desktop greeted  
her eyes.  
"What in the world?!" she exclaimed. 'Chiba  
should have finished the files last night and placed  
them on my desk before leaving the hospital. So why  
aren't they here?' Using the intercom, Dr. Hongo  
contacted the head nurse.  
"Hai, Hongo-san?"  
"Were my patient files given to my intern  
last night as I instructed?" Dr. Hongo asked.  
"One moment," replied the nurse. "Hai, Dr.  
Hongo. Kaoru said that she gave them to Chiba-san  
last night before she went on duty."  
Sighing, Dr. Hongo said, "Arigato," and hung  
up. Annoyed, Dr. Hongo headed toward Mamoru's office  
in order to look for the files herself. 'Irresponsible.  
This is absolutely unacceptable!' she thought. Her  
steps grew quicker as she grew more and more aggravated.  
Knocking briskly on Mamoru's door, she waited in case  
he was inside. When no answer came, Dr. Hongo tried  
the knob. To her surprise, the door was unlocked and  
opened easily. Walking into Mamoru's empty office, Dr.  
Hongo noticed that the lights were still on and  
Mamoru's things were still in the room.  
"Strange," Dr. Hongo murmured to herself. 'Is  
Chiba actually still here? But he wasn't scheduled for  
a night shift rotation. He does not seem like the type  
of person that would forget his things and not lock his  
door.' Glancing around the eerily quiet office, Dr.  
Hongo saw that her patient files were indeed in a neat  
pile on Mamoru's desk. Shrugging, she made a mental  
note to find out what had happened to Mamoru later and  
picked up her files. As she exited the office, she  
examined the top file to see if Mamoru had finished  
preparing them for her like she had asked. Closing the  
door, still engrossed in her files, she never saw the  
empty envelope on the floor next to the desk with the  
label, "Tsukino Usagi."  
  
*Tsukino House*  
  
Usagi silently slipped on her shoes, careful  
not to disturb poor Shingo who had been up almost all  
night studying for an exam. Making her way out of the  
door, she zipped up her jacket all the way in order  
to keep out the bite of the cold morning air. If any  
of her friends saw her, they would faint. Tsukino  
Usagi, awake before sunrise on a weekend? But strangely  
enough, Usagi woke up and just could not fall back  
asleep. Something was bothering her, but no matter  
how much she tried to figure out what IT was, IT  
remained elusive. Lost in her thoughts, she began to  
walk almost mechanically.  
  
*On the Other Side of Town*  
  
Mamoru wandered around the streets aimlessly,  
oblivious to the surprised stares of the early  
passerbys.  
Self-Control bopped the Voice on the head.  
'NANI TEN YO?!?!?! It's freezing out here! And you  
made us leave without even a jacket on?!'  
Despite the pulsing lump on its head, the  
Voice did not retaliate. Instead, it merely cried,  
'Don't die, Usako. Usako...Usako...why did you lie  
to us? To ME?'  
Glaring, Self-Control bopped the Voice  
again, giving it a pair of odangos, just like  
Usagi. 'Baka! BAKA YARO!!! It's all your fault.  
You just had to make him fall in love with her! And  
even though you knew that she was only going to hurt  
him in the end anyway, you still went forward with  
it!! KUSO!! It's all your FAULT!!!' Its next tirade  
was cut off as the Voice slowly turned, showing that  
it was crying, its blue eyes enormously large with  
tears. Incensed, Self-Control stomped its foot.  
'Yamete!' The Voice began to whimper, its lower lip  
quivering. 'YAMETE!' The Voice's tears began to fall  
in earnest. Feeling its own lip quivering,  
Self-Control tried to threaten the Voice. 'I'll feed  
you my fist if you don't stop that.' The Voice only  
blubbered uncontrollably. Finally giving in,  
Self-Control shouted, 'Ok, FINE,' and sat next to the  
Voice. Wrapping its arms around the Voice, Self-Control  
began to cry as well. Soon, both figures had a river  
of tears flowing from their eyes.  
With a rusty creak, Usagi opened the iron  
gate to the cemetery. Once ensconced in the sanctuary,  
the noise of the Tokyo traffic disappeared into the  
background. The still lush green grass and the  
beautiful chirping of birds in the trees made the  
place seem like an oasis amidst the hustle and  
bustle of Tokyo. Slowly making her way to her parents'  
marker, Usagi sat upon a nearby bench. Closing her  
eyes, she took in a deep breath of air, willing the  
stillness of the cemetery to calm her soul. What  
was the cause of her distress?  
As Mamoru passed the Western style cemetery  
of Tokyo, something told him to look up. Scanning  
the area, he wondered what had caused him to stop.  
A faint glimmer of gold caught his eyes. Squinting,  
Mamoru could see it was a head. Not just any head,  
but a blonde head with two darling odangos perched  
upon the top. Seeing that Usagi was alone, Mamoru  
quickly decided to speak to her. This time, he  
would not be ignored.  
Usagi could hear someone making their way  
rapidly toward her location. Sighing, she silently  
wished that the person would leave her alone so  
that she could watch the sunrise in peace.  
Unfortunately the person was impervious to her  
keep-away aura. Vaguely irritated, Usagi turned  
her head, only to see a very wild looking Mamoru  
right in her face. Surprised, Usagi could not help  
but laugh at the irony of the situation.  
"Ohayo, Mamoru-baka! I should have guessed  
that you would show up at a time that I wanted to  
be alone," Usagi said, jokingly. However, Mamoru  
sat next to Usagi without acknowledging her barb.  
Confused, Usagi tried to lighten the tense air  
by baiting Mamoru again. "Ne ne, Mamo..."  
"IIE, Usagi-chan. This time you won't get  
out of this situation by having someone come to  
your rescue," said Mamoru heatedly. "This time, I  
want some answers and I expect to have you answer  
them!"  
Startled by his sudden vehemence, Usagi  
began to rise from the bench in order to defend  
herself. "I do not know what has gotten into you,  
Chiba Mamoru, demo I do not think that you are in  
a state of mind to be speaking to anyone at this  
moment. If you will excuse me--" Two large hands  
gripped Usagi's slender shoulders and pushed her  
back into her seat.  
Eyes narrowing, Mamoru stated, "I don't  
think so, Usagi-chan. Nothing is going to keep  
me from talking to you today." Seeing that Usagi  
was trying to protest, Mamoru placed a silencing  
finger upon her lips. Usagi stilled and Mamoru  
continued his speech. "Usagi-chan, we are friends,  
are we not?" Usagi nodded.  
"Of course we are friends, Mamoru-kun,"  
she said with a slightly amused smile. "I don't  
let anyone talk to me like this without  
retaliation, I assure you."  
"Demo, why have you been avoiding me?"  
Pain was laced into his every word and there  
was sadness written plainly on his features.  
"Did I do something wrong, Usagi-chan?"  
Ashamed, Usagi looked at her lap. "Iie,  
Mamoru-kun. You did nothing wrong."  
"Then why were you avoiding me?"  
Silence slid over the two, covering them  
like a thick, suffocating blanket. Usagi nervously  
rubbed at her hands, trying to think of some  
excuse to give Mamoru. What could she say to him?  
After all the years that they had known each other,  
why indeed, was she avoiding him now?  
Suddenly warm hands slid over Usagi's own  
chilled ones. Looking up, Usagi met Mamoru's  
serious gaze. Taking a deep breath, Usagi tried to  
explain her behavior. "Mamoru-kun, what happened...  
there are...there are certain issues that have  
appeared in my life that prevent me..." She  
stopped, unsure of how to continue.  
"Usagi-chan, has Dr. Hongo said something  
to you? Did she forbid you from speaking to me?"  
Usagi crinkled her nose in confusion.  
"Dr. Hongo? Why would she forbid me from speaking  
to you? Unless...Mamoru, has she said something to  
you about me? That would be so like her. She always  
tried to protect me regardless if I want her to or  
not!"  
Shaking his head, Mamoru said, "Well, it  
doesn't matter if she did or didn't. If you do not  
want to see me, I will respect your wishes. But  
before I leave you alone, Usagi-chan, I want you  
to answer one more question truthfully. Have you  
lied to me?"  
Usagi shook her head in denial. "Of course  
not, Mamoru-kun. I have never deliberately lied to  
you."  
Pain racked Mamoru's frame. She had lied  
to him. Even worse, she called him a friend and  
yet she still lied to him even though he asked for  
the truth. Usagi was the first and only person he  
had ever completely trusted. She was the first to  
break through his carefully constructed walls. He  
had told her everything about himself and  
considered her a very close friend. And just when  
he had finally let his guard down and allowed  
himself to care for someone else, she betrayed  
him. And in the worst possible way; she lied to  
him.  
All his life, Mamoru had been lied to by  
others. Couples at the orphanage always said that  
they would be back for him. Mamoru would wait  
patiently on his cot for the couples to come  
pick him up and take him home. But they never came  
back for him. They would always leave with some  
other boy or girl and never spare him another  
glance. When he was older, Mamoru had many young  
girls try to flirt with him. But when they found  
out that he was a poor orphan, they would promptly  
forget that he even existed. Social workers,  
doctors, classmates...everyone around him lied to  
him. That was why Mamoru never completely trusted  
anyone, not even Motoki. Usagi was his first true  
friend. But even she lied to him. Clenching his  
fists to his sides, Mamoru began to shake with  
anger. How could she do this to him?  
Usagi could see Mamoru trembling as he  
arose from the bench and stared at the ground. Was  
he ill? After all, it was a chilly morning and he  
was not wearing a jacket. He looked tired, as if  
he had not slept at all. His cheeks had been  
flushed. Did he have a fever? That would explain  
his rather erratic behavior Concerned, Usagi  
stood as well and raised a hand to touch Mamoru's  
shoulder. "Ano...Mamor--"  
Mamoru whirled around when he heard Usagi  
move and saw her hand reaching toward him. With  
a sneer, he slapped her hand away. Surprise,  
hurt and confusion filled her beautiful blue  
eyes. 'Iie...her lying eyes,' he thought.  
"You can stop pretending now, Usagi," he  
growled.  
"Pretending? I am not pretending, Mamoru,"  
she said as she cradled her throbbing hand. What  
on earth was going on?  
Mamoru let out a short, sarcastic bark of  
laughter. "Hai, you are pretending, Tsukino-san.  
You are pretending to be my friend."  
Her eyes stung as tears began to form.  
Her voice trembled as she said, "Iie, Mamoru-kun,  
I am really your friend! I am not pretending."  
Mamoru grabbed her shoulders roughly, not  
caring that she let out a squeak of pain. "DO NOT  
call yourself my friend when you lie to me! You  
are a liar!"  
Usagi tried to pry his hands from her  
shoulders. "Mamoru-kun, I told you, I haven't lied  
to you. Onegai, let me go. You're hurting me!"  
A strangled laugh filled Mamoru's throat.  
He released Usagi so suddenly that she tumbled to  
the ground. "You lie even now, TSUKINO-san. You  
never considered me a friend. You never even told  
me about your cancer! And here you stand, acting  
all innocent, saying that you never lied. I KNOW  
the truth now, Tsukino-san," Mamoru spat.  
Usagi gasped. "How did you find out? No  
one would have told you."  
Mamoru narrowed his eyes in contempt.  
"Of course no one told me. You did not want them  
to tell ME about your cancer. You did not want  
ME to know anything about you. You called yourself  
my friend, getting me to tell you all of my  
secrets. But you really didn't give a damn about  
me, did you?"  
Tears began to fall from Usagi's eyes. She  
could not believe the hurtful things that were  
coming from Mamoru's mouth. She had to be dreaming.  
This was a complete nightmare. She was not sitting  
on the cold morning ground, staring at a deranged  
Mamoru rant and rave like a loon. It had to be  
a nightmare...didn't it?  
Mamoru kneeled so that he was face to face  
with Usagi. "Was this your plan all along, Odango?  
To get even with me for all the teasing I put you  
through?" He used a finger to touch one of Usagi's  
tears. "Quite the little actress you are, Tsukino.  
I never would have thought that you could act so  
well. Brava, Odango. Befriend me, break down my  
defenses, and then twist the knife, eh?" Usagi  
shook her head frantically but Mamoru only  
smirked. "Well, it worked, Odango. Are you happy?  
You were the first person that I actually felt  
something for. Your little act succeeded. And  
now that you are sure of your success, you finish  
the plan. Congratulations, Tsukino. You have  
gotten your revenge on me!" Mamoru's face was  
twisted in a grotesque caricature of a smile. "And  
now I know that Tsukino Usagi is NOT really the  
sweet, innocent, caring and sad young woman I  
thought she was. She is actually a petty, sadistic,  
unfeeling KISAMA that only uses people and lies to  
them. Who will you betray next, Mizuno Ami? Does  
she know your true face? How will she handle your  
betrayal?"  
Closing her eyes, Usagi willed the pain to  
disappear. All her years of suffering had given her  
one gift: the ability to push all her feelings aside  
and act like nothing bothered her. Drawing on this  
now, Usagi rose from her position, Mamoru mirroring  
her movements. Taking in a calming breath, her tears  
stopping, Usagi opened her eyes and very calmly  
stared at Mamoru straight in the eye. "Listen to me,  
Chiba Mamoru. I do not care what you call me nor  
what you think of me. But I do care about the truth.  
I have NEVER lied to you. I really wanted to be your  
friend. I really tried to be your friend. And I truly  
believed that we were friends. Demo I guess I was  
mistaken, if you blew up because of me not telling  
you that I had cancer. EXCUSE ME, CHIBA-san, but I  
did not think that it was any of your business!"  
Mamoru gritted his teeth. "Of course it  
is my business. I am your friend, aren't I? I deserve  
to know if you have cancer."  
Usagi laughed bitterly. "Now we're friends?  
Just a second ago, you accused me of not being your  
friend. You change tunes rather quickly Chiba-san.  
My other friends know because they were there when  
I received my diagnosis. Contrary to what you think,  
I don't go telling everyone that I have cancer. If  
you didn't realize, my cancer is a rather PERSONAL  
issue that I have a really difficult time discussing!  
Besides, why do you care if I have cancer? Does it  
somehow disqualify me as a person?" Usagi pointed  
accusingly at him. "Does having brain cancer somehow  
not meet your qualifications for a friend? Why the  
hell do you think you deserve to know?"  
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, THAT'S WHY!"  
  
Translations:  
ano- um...  
arigato- thank you  
demo- but  
hai- yes  
iie- no  
kisama- not a nice name to call someone  
onegai- please  
yamete- stop it  
  
Author Notes:  
  
::sigh:: It's nice to be writing again.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	15. Just Friends?

*Disclaimer: Now, Naoko-sama, you know that having  
a new baby will seriously limit your time. You  
really should hand over the rights of Bishoujo  
Senshi Sailor Moon to me! ::Naoko glares at raving  
fanwriter:: Um...::gulps:: Okaay, maybe not. Oh  
well, a girl has to try ^^; Until next time, I  
still don't own BSSM.  
  
**************************************************  
Usagi pointed accusingly at him. "Does  
having brain cancer somehow not meet your  
qualifications for a friend? Why the hell do  
you think you deserve to know?"  
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, THAT'S WHY!"  
**************************************************  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 14: Just Friends?  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/  
(It's changed...a little =)  
  
Both figures froze instantly. What in the  
world had just come out of Mamoru's mouth? Off in  
the distance, church bells tolled the hour. It was  
the only sound to be heard in the now utterly silent  
graveyard.  
Self-Control smacked the Voice. 'You idiot!  
Now look what you have done! How could you blurt it  
out so bluntly?'  
The Voice, sporting various lumps on its  
head, glared at Self-Control. 'Did you have a better  
plan?'  
After wriggling its arms in the air,  
Self-Control hastily pulled out its chalkboard and  
its laser pointer. 'Of course I had a better plan.  
See here? Plan A: Ask Usagi out to dinner. Plan B:  
If no rejection or humiliation follows Plan A,  
initiate a wonderful night of dinner and dancing.  
Plan C: Following successful completion of B, repeat  
the plan for a month. Plan D: Once sure that Usagi  
has gotten use to the idea of Mamoru hanging around,  
ask her to a romantic dinner in the privacy of the  
apartment. This will ensure that less people will be  
around in case of rejection or humiliation.  
Candlelight, soft music; make sure the atmosphere is  
just right. Then, only when conditions are favorable,  
look deep into her eyes and say in a soft, vulnerable  
voice, "I love you." You see? Perfect planning! But  
now my perfect plan is ruined!' Upon hearing this,  
Order waltzed in and began to erase the chalkboards,  
whistling cheerfully as it worked.  
The Voice shrugged. 'Hey, my plan was better.  
We got to the basics a lot quicker and a lot faster  
than we would have if we followed your plan.'  
With an unholy yell, Self-Control launched  
itself at the Voice, wrapping its hands around the  
Voice's throat in a deathgrip. 'YOU DIDN'T EVEN  
HAVE A PLAN! YOU JUST BLURTED IT OUT!!!'  
Gagging, the Voice tried to wrestle  
Self-Control's hands from its throat. 'Whatevers!  
The end result was the same, wasn't it?' The Voice's  
face began to turn purple.  
Self-Control saw red. 'ARGGHHH!!!!!' The  
two figures began to wrestle on the ground.  
Surprised, Order stared at the warring parties as  
they tried to rearrange the other's body parts.  
Over and over, they rolled on the mental battlefield  
getting precariously close to the now useless  
chalkboards. Order began to worry and tried to motion  
to the two that they were close to danger.  
Unfortunately, neither the Voice nor Self-Control  
took heed and they crashed into the chalkboards with  
a enormous CRASH.  
Freezing in place, hair mussed and clothes  
rumpled, Self-Control and the Voice looked at each  
other with wide eyes. Both of them said together,  
'Oh crap...' as they surveyed the broken pieces of  
chalkboard laying around them.  
'SHI NE!!!!!!!' cried the large gaseous  
cloud with red eyes. The black entity surrounded  
the two and in the blink of an eye, the two  
quivering figures slipped into the Void. Once the  
two trouble-makers had been taken care of, Order  
returned to its usual form and began to sweep up  
the mess. 'It's off to work I go!'  
In shock, Usagi whispered, "What did you  
just say? Is this some sick joke?"  
Slowly, Mamoru tried to pull his ravaged  
mind into some semblance of order.  
'La la la...' sang Order as it continued  
to tidy up the area.  
Releasing his anger, Mamoru tried to speak  
calmly. "I said, aishiteru, Usagi-chan...Usako.  
Ever since that day we met so long ago, I knew that  
you were special. Your spirit shone so brightly that  
even my darkness was lifted. You have made me feel  
things that I have never felt before. For the first  
time in my life, I know what completely trust and  
love means. And despite the pain and torment that I  
know those two feelings can cause, I am finally  
willing to experience them. You were my savior, ever  
since that day in the hospital when you said that  
I would never be alone, that you would be my family.  
Somehow, I knew that you meant every word. Gomen nasai,  
Usako. I shouldn't have yelled at you for not telling  
me about your cancer. I realize now that I was wrong.  
I am hurt that you didn't confide in me, demo I  
understand that it was something that you didn't want  
to share. It was just that I felt so betrayed and  
angry that I lost my control. Onegai, Usako. Boku o  
yuruse.  
Shaking her head, Usagi spoke. "Chiba-san,  
I don't know what is going on in that mind of yours  
but I know that I won't be a part of it anymore. I  
really thought that we could be friends, Mamoru.  
I believe that we were getting along nicely. I even  
thought that you had matured in these years demo  
now I know that you are still the baka that you  
were when I first met you. You dared to call me a  
liar when you are the one saying things that you  
don't mean. I hope that I never have to talk to you  
again, Chiba-san. Sayonara."  
Before Usagi could leave, Mamoru grabbed  
her arm again. "Iie. I meant what I said. Aishiteru  
Usako."  
Spinning around, Usagi flung her anger at  
him. "First you say that I was just pretending to  
be your friend and now you say that you love me?  
Are you nuts? You don't even know me. How can you  
say that you are in love with me?"  
Shaking his head, Mamoru spoke, his voice  
beginning to be edged with desperation. "Demo, I DO  
know you! I know your heart, your dreams, your soul!  
You're the only person who really knows me, the  
real me. I know the way you stick out your tongue  
when you concentrate. I know the way your eyes light  
up with joy when you see a friend approaching. I know  
the sadness that has crept into your eyes after the  
death of your parents. I see the weight of the world  
on your shoulders as you try to hide your weaknesses  
from other. I know that the happy, carefree woman  
you try to convince others that you are is merely a  
kamen to hide your pain from others. I know that your  
heart goes out to the pink haired girl that has taken  
your name. I know that you drop everything to help a  
friend in need. How can you say I don't know you?"  
Anger bled from Usagi's heart, leaving it  
empty and tired. "If you know me so well, you know  
why I don't want you to say that to me. If you can  
even comprehend a fraction of the turmoil and anguish  
I have had to suffer, then you know that I don't  
want anyone to fall in love with me. When I die, I  
don't want to leave someone behind to mourn me. I  
never want anyone to feel the pain that I have had  
to deal with." Gently, Usagi removed Mamoru's hand  
from her arm. "I think it best that we remain  
friends Mamoru-san and act like this little  
conversation never happened," Usagi said softly.  
Turning, Usagi began to make her way towards the  
cemetery gates.  
Mamoru stared at her retreating back in  
shock. Friends? She wanted them to remain as friends?  
After he had poured his heart out to her, she  
believed that their relationship could remain a  
friendship? With a determination that he had never  
felt before, Mamoru quickly chased after Usagi.  
Catching up with her, Mamoru spun her around and  
held her still within his arms.  
"Nani..." Usagi gasped, startled. Her wide  
eyes looked into Mamoru's deep blue gaze. The serious  
expression in them shook Usagi to the core.  
In a breathy voice, Mamoru murmured to Usagi,  
"One last question, Usako. You think we can be just  
friends after this?" Pulling Usagi toward him, Mamoru  
closed his eyes and gave Usagi a deep and passionate  
kiss.  
  
Translations:  
aishiteru- I love you  
boku o yuruse- please forgive me  
demo- but  
gomen nasai- I'm sorry  
iie- no  
nani- what  
onegai- please  
sayonara- good-bye  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Small change to the website address. Please  
update your bookmarks =) And yes, I know that this  
is shorter than usual, but I figured that people  
wanted to know what happens so I cut it off here =)  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	16. Voices from the Past...

*Disclaimer: Santa, Santa...where art thou?  
For Christmas, I want to own BSSM. ::large  
man walks in and whaps author on head::  
Santa: Christmas was over months ago. It's  
my vacation time. Leave me alone. ::walks  
off::  
RS: ::rubs head:: Grouchy old prick...  
Santa: THAT'S IT! You're getting coal next  
Christmas! ::disappears again::  
RS: ::snickers:: Good...I'll use it to set  
jolly old fatso there on fire!!! Oh yeah...  
I don't own Sailor Moon...at least, not yet!  
::evil grin:: We'll see what happens next  
Christmas!  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 15: Voices from the Past...  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/  
  
Mamoru was in heaven. He had to be  
in heaven because never in his life had he  
imagined himself in this situation: in the  
middle of an empty graveyard, kissing the  
early morning lights outta a gorgeous blonde.  
  
The Voice waved its arm around. 'I  
HAVE!!!' It began ticking off situations on  
its fingers. 'I've imagined kissing Usagi at  
the beach, in the car, in our apartment...'  
  
*WHAP*  
  
Self-Control grinned and waved with  
its free hand at the readers, the other  
holding onto a now dented frying pan.  
  
Floating...Mamoru was on cloud nine.  
  
Seventh heaven.  
  
Kissing heaven.  
  
*Sigh*  
  
Usako heaven. He could swear that he  
could hear little golden harps being played  
by dozens of tenshis, all resembling Usagi.  
The little tenshis were all sitting upon an  
airy white cloud, dressed in little white  
togas while strumming their harps. With that  
wonderful sunny smile, the little tenshis  
began to float around Mamoru's swimming head.  
  
Unfortunately, unseen in Mamoru's  
blissful world, there was a enemy approaching.  
A little SD devil, dressed in a black ninja  
suit and holding a pitchfork appeared. The  
devil popped all the clouds of the tenshis,  
causing them to squeal and disappear. As the  
last tenshi disappeared, it saw the ninja  
remove its hood, revealing two little pink  
cones. Grinning, the little devil promptly  
moved away from Mamoru's head, leaving a  
gaping Self-Control and Voice, and headed  
down Mamoru's body, past the arms, past the  
hips and stopped near the shins.  
  
Eyes widening, the Voice and  
Self-Control began to wave their hands  
frantically. Ignoring their pleas, the devil,  
smiling her devilish grin, readied her  
pitchfork, and with a mighty grunt, jabbed  
it into Mamoru's shin.  
  
"...ITAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Rudely jerked from his dream, Mamoru  
pulled away from Usagi to look for who had  
kicked his shin. Looking around, he saw no  
one.  
  
*PAIN* cried his nerves again.  
  
"Kuso!" yelled Mamoru as he clutched  
his other injured leg and hopped up and down.  
  
Sluggishly emerging from the  
kiss-induced fog, Usagi looked down. Hugging  
her leg was a glaring Chibi-Usa.  
  
"NANI TEN YO," growled Chibi-Usa at  
Mamoru, who had finally stopped hopping.  
"What are you doing to my Usagi-onee-chan?"  
  
Clenching his fist, Mamoru glared  
back at the little girl. "It's none of your  
business! Shouldn't you be at school right  
now, little girl?" Darn her for having a  
kick a mule would be proud of.  
  
"It's the weekend, baka! I don't  
have school today," shouted Chibi-Usa as  
she blew a raspberry at him. Then, she  
tugged on Usagi's clothes. "Usagi-onee-chan,  
did he hurt you? If he did, I'll kick him  
again! No one hurts my onee-chan and gets  
away with it!"  
  
Usagi smothered a giggle. It wouldn't  
do to hurt the feelings of either party  
involved. "Iie, Chibi-Usa, Mamoru-kun here  
didn't hurt me. Arigato for trying to protect  
me." Chibi-Usa swelled with pride as Mamoru  
snorted in derision. Glancing at her watch,  
she continued, "Ne, Chibi-Usa-chan, what are  
you doing up so early on a weekend?  
  
"I was going to my new friend's  
house when I saw Chiba-san attacking you,"  
replied Chibi-Usa with concerned eyes. "I  
didn't want him to hurt you so I came over  
to make sure you were ok."  
  
Smiling, Usagi knelt so that she  
could look Chibi-Usa in the eye. "Daijobu,  
Chibi-Usa-chan. Mamoru-kun and I were  
having a conversation. Shinpaishinai! Why  
don't you head on over to your friend's  
house so that she doesn't get worried about  
you. Afterwards, why don't you come to my  
house for dinner?"  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded ecstatically.  
Taking two steps, she remembered why she had  
come here in the first place. Shooting a  
warning glance at Mamoru, she said, "Better  
be nice to her, Chiba-san! Or else, Dr. Hongo  
and I will be very unhappy with you!" Seeing  
Mamoru flinch, Chibi-Usa happily bounced off,  
tossing a cheery wave to Usagi.  
  
Usagi smiled at Mamoru, who was busy  
mumbling to himself under his breath. "Don't  
be so mad, Mamoru-kun. Chibi-Usa is just a  
little over-protective of her friends. Be  
nicer to her and I'm sure she'll come around."  
  
Mamoru grumbled something about a pink  
head and a cheese grater before facing Usagi.  
"Let's forget about Chibi-Usa, Usagi, and  
talk about what happened before she came."  
  
Immediately, Usagi sobered up. "Mamoru,  
I..."  
  
Mamoru raised his hand. "Usako, onegai,  
let me speak." Taking a shuddering breath,  
Mamoru tried to place his feelings into words,  
a hard feat for a man who had bottled them up  
for so long. "Usako, I've known you for a long  
time. When we first met, you had this light  
in your eyes. Whenever I saw you, I felt great  
no matter what kind of day I had. Demo now,  
that light has grown dim. Usako, you said that  
you didn't want anyone to mourn you when you  
die." Grabbing her hand, he placed it over his  
rapidly beating heart. "I loved you from the  
moment I met you, Usako. The heart that beats  
in my body is not mine, Usako. It's yours."  
  
Usagi felt her defenses begin to  
crumble. Her icy walls were melting from the  
heat of Mamoru's love, the heat of THEIR love.  
  
"It's always been you, Tsukino Usagi.  
From the moment I drew my first breath, it's  
been you. Time is short for every person on  
this planet. How can you, the girl who faced  
life with so much passion and bravery deny  
herself the experience of love? You were meant  
to love and to be loved, Usako. I don't care  
if our moments together are short. Onegai,  
let yourself love. Let yourself be loved,  
Usako. Don't push me away..." Mamoru finished  
with a whisper, tears cascading down his  
cheeks. 'Onegai, let her say yes. I don't  
think I could take it if she said no...' he  
thought.  
  
Usagi stared into his blue eyes, eyes  
that were like her own, swimming in tears.  
She did love him, no matter how many times she  
tried to deny it. But...but, she was going to  
die. How could she put him through that, put  
anyone through it? Shaking, Usagi opened her  
mouth to say no when a memory suddenly flashed  
through her mind.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
She was only six years old but already  
she was running all over the playground. She  
was so proud that she had climbed all the way  
to the top of the jungle gym.  
  
"Usagi-chan, it's time to go home now,"  
called Kenji. It was his day off and he offered  
to take the kids out to the park so that Ikuko  
could have a day off. He was standing by the  
edge of the playground, the sleeping Shingo  
already in the stroller ready to leave.  
  
"Coming, otou-san," called Usagi. She  
went to the side of the contraption, trying to  
figure out a way to climb down. But when she  
looked over the side, she finally realized how  
high up she was. 'Ground looks awfully hard,'  
she thought. Frightened, she clung to the bars,  
unable to move.  
  
"Usagi, hurry up!"  
  
Tearfully, Usagi looked at her father.  
"I can't, otou-san. Kowaii!!!"  
  
Kenji shook his head and headed toward  
his daughter. "Daijobu, Usagi-chan. I'm right  
here. I won't let anything happen to you."  
  
Reaching out, Usagi tried to get her  
father to carry her off the jungle gym. But he  
did not reach out for her.  
  
"Iie, Usagi-chan," he said. "I know  
that you're afraid. Demo you can't go through  
life being afraid of things. If you do, you'll  
miss out on some of the best things in life."  
  
Nodding, Usagi wiped her tears on her  
sleeve and slowly climbed her way down the  
jungle gym. Grinning triumphantly, she hugged  
her father.  
  
"My brave little Usagi, I'm so proud  
of you!" Kenji congratulated his daughter as  
they, along with Shingo, headed back home.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Mamoru felt his heart skip a beat  
when he saw that Usagi was beginning to say  
something. But she said nothing as her mind  
seemed to float away for a second. His heart,  
reminded by his brain that it better start  
pumping again, beat faster, anxious for the  
news.  
  
He had not long to wait.  
  
"Iie, Mamoru-kun," Usagi said.  
  
EEEP! His heart was going into cardiac  
arrest. 'She said no,' whispered the Voice,  
trying to comprehend what her words said.  
  
But before Mamoru fainted into a pale  
lump at her feet, Usagi placed her hands gently  
on his cheeks. "Iie, Mamo-chan, I won't push  
you away any more. Aishiteru, Mamo-chan," she  
whispered before she claimed his lips with her  
own in a sweet kiss. It was a kiss of promise,  
of hope, of love triumphant...  
  
'They were right,' she thought. 'I  
can't let myself be frightened of what may  
happen but plunge right in. I've missed so  
many things because of this cancer, but I  
won't miss anything anymore.' As Mamoru  
wrapped her within his arms, all thought  
flew into the wind.  
  
Two vague figures, watching the couple,  
held each other tightly. She was back again,  
their beloved daughter. Smiling, they wished  
the new couple well. As they faded away to  
nothingness, their last thought was of their  
daughter...  
  
'...your mother and I will always  
be proud of you...'  
  
Translations:  
aishiteru- I love you  
demo- but  
iie- no  
kowaii- I'm scared  
kuso- curse word  
nani ten yo- what are you thinking?!  
onegai- please  
otou-san- father  
shinpaishinai- don't be worried  
  
Author Notes:  
  
^^; Sorry for the long wait. Anyhoo,  
a BIG thanks to Kel, who shared her wonderful  
BSSM tapes with me, and Bejiin, who helped  
tweak my Japanese. Of course, any remaining  
mistakes are my fault entirely =)  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	17. Interlude

*Disclaimer: ::sweet voice:: Naoko-sama!!  
If I babysit your new kid, will you give  
me the rights to BSSM? ONEGAI!!  
  
*Silence*  
  
Darn...must work on another approach...  
  
Medical Miracle  
Interlude  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/  
  
*San Francisco, California, United States*  
  
Haruka's long tapered fingers danced  
across the keys, coaxing a merry tune from  
the piano. She loved playing the piano; it  
was relaxing, especially after a long day at  
the race track.  
  
Suddenly, a piercing ring shook her  
from her reverie. But before Haruka could  
stop playing a single note, Michiru's voice  
floated to her ears from the other room.  
  
"I'll get it!"  
  
Haruka smiled. She and Michiru had  
been living together for a long time now,  
ever since they began touring, she as a racer,  
Michiru as a violinist and painter. Although  
a lot of people were shocked to find out that  
the short-haired blonde Haruka was actually  
a girl, even more were appalled at the notion  
that she and Michiru were involved. Some still  
didn't accept that fact and openly snubbed the  
couple. But Haruka and Michiru didn't mind. So  
long as their true friends accepted them, the  
rest could all go to...Before Haruka's thoughts  
turned to more distasteful matters, the soft  
voice of the piano called out to her, drawing  
her within it's spell. She didn't even hear  
Michiru's gasp nor the panic in her normally  
calm voice.  
  
"Love," questioned the soft voice of  
Michiru as she finally entered the music room.  
Haruka's hands immediately stilled when she  
saw Michiru's pale complexion. The blood had  
drained from her face so completely that her  
blue-green hair gave her face a sickly green  
color. Alarmed, Haruka ran to Michiru's side.  
  
"What is it, aisuru?" Haruka had never  
seen her beloved so shook up before. She placed  
a strong hand on Michiru's quivering elbow to  
steady her.  
  
Michiru turned her wide eyes to Haruka.  
"..." Still frozen in horror, her voice had  
given out on her. After a few more false starts,  
she was finally able to say, "That was  
Ami-chan. On the phone. She has news on the  
latest test results. The cancer..." Her voice  
dropped to the barest of whispers. "It's  
spread...Oh Kami-sama...it's spread." The  
cordless phone dropped from her cold fingers,  
clattering on the floor, the only sound in the  
deafening silence.  
  
Haruka felt her heart stop. "Iie..."  
she whispered. "Neko-chan..."  
  
Michiru placed her hand on Haruka's  
shoulder, each trying to comfort the other.  
She knew that Haruka's pain was as great as  
her own. "Haruka, I called our agent. He's  
cancelling our events. He also booked tickets  
back to Tokyo for tonight." She gave Haruka's  
shoulder a slight squeeze. "Ami-chan told me  
that Usagi said we didn't have to worry and that  
we shouldn't cancel anything to come roaring  
back to Tokyo." Managing a small smile, Michiru  
continued. "Silly Usagi-chan... even now she  
still thinks of others. It's so like her..."  
Stopping, Michiru held back the choking sobs  
that were threatening to overcome her. "I'll go  
pack." Kissing Haruka on the cheek, Michiru  
slowly walked back to her room, hoping to find  
packing a way to distract her from her pain.  
  
Haruka's mind didn't even register  
Michiru's retreating form. Moving completely  
on autopilot, she turned back to the piano  
keys. 'Neko-chan...' she thought. Her numb  
fingers began to depress a few keys, drawing a  
discordant moan from the piano. 'Kami would not  
be so cruel...' Her fingers halted their  
mindless march. "IIE!" With an angry yell,  
Haruka slammed the cover back onto the piano,  
heedless of its protests.  
  
*Bel Air, California, United States*  
  
Minako took another sip of her iced  
tea. It was another gorgeous day, to be  
spent lounging by the pool, under the warm  
California sun. Filming had wrapped on her  
latest film and she was enjoying a nice week  
long vacation before she headed back home in  
Tokyo.  
  
Suddenly, the electronic version of  
'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' began blaring  
out of her cell phone. Startled, Minako  
accidentally dumped her iced tea on herself.  
"AAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!" she screamed.  
Dabbing at her now chilled and wet swimsuit  
with a towel, she called out, "I'll be right  
there! Hold your donkeys!" But, just as  
abruptly as the song started, the song  
stopped. Glaring at the now quiet cell, she  
grabbed the offending piece of technology and  
thought about chucking it into the pool. But  
the caller ID caught her eye.  
  
'Mako-chan,' she wondered. 'Why would  
she be calling me when she knows that I'm  
coming back in a few days?' Mentally, she  
rechecked the date in her mind. 'I don't think  
it's my birthday...nor is it any of minnas...'  
What was it about today that caused Makoto to  
call her long distance? 'There hasn't been  
anything in the news about me lately...' Finally,  
it came to Minako. 'The test results are in...'  
  
Another shrill beep emanated from  
the cell phone. This time, however, indicated  
that Minako had a message. Opening her phone's  
inbox, she read the message from Makoto. And  
then, she re-read it. And re-read it again.  
Her entire world halted. Jumping from the  
lawn chair, Minako raced into the house,  
yelling for her personal assistant.  
  
"Pack my things! I want to be on the  
next plane to Tokyo!"  
  
*Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan*  
  
Rei poured another cup of tea for  
Hotaru and Setsuna. The two had dropped by for  
a visit earlier and, with Rei, had enjoyed a  
wonderful packaged lunch made by Makoto.  
  
Hotaru sighed in bliss. "That was very  
delicious! Remind me to thank Mako-chan later."  
She patted her stomach. "Ano...maybe I ought to  
yell at her, for making me gain some more weight!"  
  
The three friends shared a joyous laugh.  
Setsuna, wiping a tear from her eye, grinned.  
"Good for Mako-chan! You need a little more meat  
on those bones of yours. Or else your boyfriend  
won't be able to hug you without fear of you  
breaking!"  
  
Gasping, Hotaru poked Setsuna in the  
ribs. "HEY! I'm not that thin! I've filled out!"  
  
"And I'm sure your boyfriend appreciates  
every place that you've filled out," Rei said,  
slyly as she jabbed an elbow into Hotaru's side.  
  
Setsuna and Rei burst into laughter as  
the poor girl's face flamed into a scarlet red.  
They were still laughing when the door to Rei's  
room opened. All eyes turned to the newcomer. It  
was Yuuichirou, looking oddly grave.  
  
"What is it, Yuui-chan?" asked Rei. But,  
seeing her fiancé's face, she had a feeling that  
she knew...  
  
"That was Gurio Naru..." began Yuuichirou.  
He hesitated, not at all eager to be the bearer  
of bad news.  
  
Shutting her eyes tightly, Setsuna tried  
to control her breathing. "It's about Usagi-chan,  
ne?" All the girls could feel an tightness in  
their chests, as if an invisible hand was  
squeezing their lungs.  
  
Yuuichirou nodded. "It's spread."  
  
Translations:  
aisuru- beloved  
iie- no  
neko- cat  
  
Author Notes:  
  
I always liked exploring the depths of  
the other characters. I hope I did them all  
justice. I know there were a lot of you that  
thought MM was finished. Unfortunately (or  
fortunately, depending on your POV) it's not.  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	18. Just Another Day

*Disclaimer: I'm cold, hungry and tired.  
Must I do this? ::sigh:: I don't own BSSM.  
I merely borrow them and make them do as I  
please. MUHAHAHAHAAAAAA!  
  
Happy? ::sigh:: I thought not.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 16: Just Another Day  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/  
  
Sleepily, Mamoru fumbled for his  
keys, trying to get his clumsy body to  
obey his commands. The faster he opened his  
door, the faster he could plop into his  
nice comfortable bed and sleep.  
  
"I hate the ER," he grumbled as he  
finally got the wretched door to open. As  
an intern, he had to put in a shift in the  
ER. With his wretched luck, there had been  
an accident involving a garbage truck and  
Tokyo Hospital was the nearest to the site.  
He and the other doctors had spent the  
last five hours trying to patch people up  
despite a stink that would make even a  
skunk turn green.  
  
Quickly he locked the door, shucked  
off his shoes and trudged as quickly as he  
could manage to his bedroom. Not bothering  
to change, he threw himself on the bed,   
face first and promptly fell asleep.  
  
*RING*  
  
Mamoru barely twitched.  
  
*RING RING*  
  
The shrill noise was rather  
persistent, like a screeching banshee.  
With a grimace, Mamoru grabbed his pillow  
and tried to drown out the noise.  
  
*RING*  
  
He groaned, annoyed. Blindly, he  
swiped at the noise, hoping to make the  
disturbance cease.  
  
*RING*  
  
He missed. Not to be discouraged,  
he took another swipe. He didn't quite miss;  
his elbow came into contact with the rather  
unpleasant corner of his bedside table.  
  
"ITAI!" Pain was always a much more  
effective wake-up call. His eyes finally  
open, he cast his blurry gaze upon his alarm  
clock. He had only been sleeping for two  
hours. It was only 06:00, way too early for  
any sane person to be calling him. Irritated  
beyond words, he picked up his poor cordless  
phone and punched the button to answer.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" he  
growled. Mamoru needed coffee and lots of it.  
Scratch that. He needed sleep, a shower, a  
ton of coffee, and more sleep.  
  
"Well, that's a fine 'hello' for your  
girlfriend," replied a cheery voice, followed  
by a giggle.  
  
Instantly, Mamoru's bad mood vanished,  
almost as if it had never been. "Usako!" He  
ran a hand through his disheveled hair and sat  
up straighter, as if Usagi could see him  
through the phone line. "Gomen-"  
  
"Oh don't worry, Mamo-chan. I know  
that you only got in about two hours ago.  
Anyone would be a little annoyed in your  
place. Was ER that bad?"  
  
A few scenes of the horribly smelly  
patients flashed in his mind. "Bad doesn't  
even begin to cover it." Mamoru launched into  
a rant, telling Usagi everything that had  
happened.  
  
When he paused for a breath, Usagi  
quickly interrupted. "Ano, Mamo-chan? You're  
going to be late."  
  
Mamoru stopped, confused. "Late? For  
what?" Then it hit him. "MY INTERVIEW!" He  
dashed from his bed to his bathroom.  
  
Usagi's gentle laughter filled his  
ear. "I was calling to wish you luck,  
Mamo-chan. I'm sure that you don't need any  
luck though. You'll get that job."  
  
Turning on the water in his shower,  
Mamoru ran back to his closet to get a suit  
to wear. "I wouldn't be too sure of that,  
Usako. Dr. Hongo doesn't seem like she'll  
write a glowing recommendation for me. She  
hates me."  
  
"She doesn't hate you, Mamo-chan."  
  
Putting toothpaste on his toothbrush,  
he answered, "I am not too sure about that."  
  
Sigh. "Go get ready, Mamo-chan, or  
else you'll be late for the interview."  
  
Trying to comb his hair and talk in  
the phone and the same time, Mamoru said,  
"What are you going to do today?"  
  
"The girls are coming over for a  
sleepover, like the ones we used to have as  
teenagers." There was a slight strain in  
Usagi's voice.  
  
"Are you not looking forward to it?"  
  
There was a slight hesitation, very  
brief. Since he was preoccupied, Mamoru did  
not catch it. "Of course I am, silly. We  
better hang up now, Mamo-chan, or else you'll  
really be late. I swear that you've been  
picking up more and more of my old habits.  
Pretty soon, I'll have to start calling you  
Odango Atama."  
  
Sputtering was the last thing she  
heard as Usagi hung up the phone. With a  
small smile, she put the phone back on her  
nightstand.  
  
It had been two months since they had  
shared their first kiss. Dr. Hongo had told  
her about her dim prognosis and Usagi had  
to call her friends. Haruka, Michiru, and  
Minako instantly flew back to Japan. All of  
her friends came pounding to her house  
one saturday morning. After a long talk,  
things had calmed, somewhat. They had  
accepted the news. Things could go back to  
normal.  
  
But they hadn't. Nearly every spare  
moment she had, since they had all gotten  
back together, was being spent with her  
friends. Nights, weekends, it didn't matter.  
Even her dates with Mamoru were spent with  
her friends, in group dinners or such. Of  
course, it was nice to spend time with her  
friends. They had been there for her through  
everything, her parents' death and the news  
of her cancer. But since the news that her  
cancer had metastisized, Usagi felt like her  
friends were trying to see her as much as  
possible. 'It's just a little too much...'  
  
Usagi shook her head. 'What's wrong  
with me? Why am I thinking this way? There  
must be a reason.' She was just tired from  
the end of the school year. Yeah, that was  
it. She had to grade papers and take care of  
all the administrative stuff. The hardest  
part, though, was saying goodbye to all of  
her students. She had already resigned her  
teaching position, since she didn't know if  
she would be well enough, let alone alive,  
to teach next year.  
  
Giving herself a mental shake, Usagi  
got out of bed. This tired funk that she was  
in was only temporary. As soon as she got  
some more rest, she would return back to her  
cheerful self, laughing with her friends and  
taking part in their famous talk-a-thons.  
  
*Three Hours Later*  
  
Usagi opened the door, to see the  
smiling faces of her friends.  
  
"Ohayo, minna-chan," greeted Usagi  
cheerfully. Makoto, Rei, Minako, Michiru,  
Haruka, Setsuna, Hotaru, and Ami poured into  
the Tsukino house, greeting their hostess  
with enthusiasm.  
  
Taking off her shoes, Makoto  
immediately headed off to the kitchen,  
dumping her overnight bag and purse in the  
living room. "Bring all the food here," she  
called.  
  
Usagi's eyes widened as Haruka, Rei,  
and Setsuna struggled to carry their loads  
of food. "Mako-chan, you have enough food  
here to feed--"  
  
"AN ARMY!" Rei set down her load on  
the counter with a grunt, Usagi following  
behind her.  
  
Haruka massaged her hands, red from  
the grocery bags. "What did you buy? Bricks?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Makoto looked at  
the taller girl for a moment. "Haruka, if  
you prefer eating bricks, I'm sure I can  
make a few calls. Me and the other girls can  
eat the lunch and dinner that I'm planning."  
  
Sheepish, Haruka rubbed her neck.  
"Hehe, that's ok. I'll eat what everyone else  
is eating." She made a quick exit from the  
kitchen. Makoto was always very defensive of  
anything connected to her cooking.  
  
Makoto turned to glare at Rei. "Do  
you have a complaint as well?" Wisely, Rei  
shook her head. "Good." With the laborers  
pacified, Makoto began to rummage through  
the bags, putting various groceries in their  
places in Usagi's fridge.  
  
Rei and Usagi headed back out into  
the living room. Haruka had plopped herself  
in front of the television, watching a race.  
Michiru and Minako were shuffling through  
some videos, trying to planning what to watch  
later that night. On the sofa, near the  
kitchen, Ami, Hotaru, and Setsuna sat quietly  
discussing the latest news in their fields.  
Upon their entrance, the three motioned for  
Usagi and Rei to join them around the coffee  
table.  
  
"How come Naru-chan couldn't come,"  
asked Hotaru.  
  
Usagi, settling herself on the couch,  
replied, "She didn't feel too well this  
morning. Her ankles are swollen and her back  
aches." The girls nodded in sympathy.  
  
"It is her first pregnancy. I'm sure  
that it's very difficult for her," Ami said.  
  
Michiru looked up from the videos.  
"Is there any pregnancy that isn't difficult,"  
she said, a wry smile on her face.  
  
"I'm sure that it's more difficult for  
poor Umino-kun," added Rei from her position  
on the floor.  
  
Usagi giggled. "You should see the poor  
man. He's going absolutely insane. 'Do you need  
anything?' 'Do you want me to rub your back?'  
'Does it hurt?' He's asked so many questions  
that Naru-chan finally got fed up with him and  
said, 'LEAVE ME ALONE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT,  
YOU KNOW?' He began to cry and said, 'I only  
wanted to help.' Naru-chan had to spend the  
next couple of hours comforting him and telling  
him that she didn't mean it." They all laughed.  
  
Michiru and Minako plopped down next to  
Rei, the videos forgotten. "That reminds me,"  
said Minako. "My agent called today and told me  
the juiciest gossip!" Minako's voice dropped to  
a stage whisper, causing Michiru, Rei, Hotaru,  
Setsuna, and Ami to lean in so that they could  
hear.  
  
Temporarily forgotten, Usagi bit the  
inside of her mouth. The headache that had  
started when she got out of bed had still not  
gone away. She had taken some medicine earlier  
but they had not kicked in yet. In addition,  
that deep tiredness that a hold of her had not  
gone away, despite the fact that all her friends  
were here. She gathered her energy and tried to  
make her face as normal as possible. She could  
not spoil the light-hearted mood.  
  
"Usagi-chan!" Makoto's call interrupted  
Usagi's thoughts.  
  
The conversation paused, allowing Usagi  
to hear Makoto. "Hai, Mako-chan?"  
  
Makoto's voice floated into the living  
room. "Where is your mixing bowl? I want to get  
started on the desert."  
  
"I don't remember. I'll go look for it."  
Usagi stood from the couch. Something plopped  
onto the glass surface of the coffee table.  
Puzzled, Usagi looked down. Was her roof  
dripping? But the wet drop of the table wasn't  
water, it was blood. Gingerly, Usagi touched  
her fingers to her upper lip. They came away  
stained crimson.  
  
Rei noticed that Usagi had not begun  
to head toward the kitchen. "Usagi-chan?" The  
other girls turned, just in time to watch as  
Usagi slid to the floor in a boneless heap,  
unconscious.  
  
"USAGI!!!"  
  
Translations:  
None  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Otay, many have asked when the medical  
miracle comes in. As you might have guessed,  
it's coming soon =) I hope this has been  
worth the wait ^^;  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	19. Waiting for Dawn

*Disclaimer: ::grins happily:: I own SM, I  
DO, I DO!!! ::giggles insanely:: And I can  
draw purdy purdy manga Mamos. ::draws a stick  
figure:: Aren't I good? Aren't I Naoko?  
Eh? I'm not? Oh... ::dejected:: Well, then I  
guess I don't own SM...darn the luck.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 17: Waiting for Dawn  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/  
  
*Tokyo Hospital*  
  
Haruka paced the waiting room floor,  
quickly and angrily. The ambulance had  
taken forever to arrive at Usagi's house.  
Prior to that, Ami had spent what seemed  
like hours working on trying to revive  
Usagi. When the ambulance finally arrived,  
they loaded Usagi onto a stretched and into the  
van. Ami and Rei had accompanied the medical  
personnel and Usagi in the ambulance, racing  
toward Tokyo Hospital, the wail of the sirens  
clearing their path. The rest of the group,  
all six of them, had then crammed into Haruka's  
car. The professional racer sliced through  
Tokyo's traffic, the devil's own luck keeping  
her from being pulled over.  
  
Once at the hospital, Ami and Rei  
told them that Usagi had been rushed into  
the emergency room and that the doctor would  
inform them of Usagi's condition as soon as  
possible. Michiru, the most outwardly calm of  
the group, used her cell phone to call Shingo.  
Following her lead, Setsuna phoned Dr. Hongo   
since it was the doctor's day off, while Ami  
got the nurses to page her mother. Trying to  
help, Minako offered to call Mamoru.  
  
"He's not answering," Minako said,  
her voice strained as she hung up her cell  
in surprise. "I got sent to his voice mail."  
  
"NANI?!" Rei screeched. Several other  
visitors looked at the outraged priestess in  
surprise. She looked ready to choke someone.  
  
Makoto placed a calming hand on Rei's  
shoulder. "Calm down, Rei-chan. Don't get so  
upset about this."  
  
Rei whirled on the taller woman, her  
anger finding a new target. "Don't try to  
calm me down, Mako-chan! Mamoru is supposed  
to be her boyfriend. Usagi needs him to be  
by her side at this moment and that man is  
off to kami knows where, not answering his  
cell phone!" Rei clenched her fists. "Usagi is  
in there, fighting for her life. And Chiba  
Mamoru, her supposed boyfriend, can't even  
bother to answer the pho--" A sob stopped Rei's  
rant and she collapsed against Makoto's shoulder.  
Makoto gently hugged Rei, letting the woman  
express her grief.  
  
Taking out her own cell, Hotaru  
said, "I'll contact him, Minako. Don't  
worry about him. I'm sure one of us will  
reach him." Punching her buttons to send  
a text message, Hotaru was glad to have  
something occupy her, something other than  
dwell on the fact that Usagi might be dead.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Mamoru sat on the couch, waiting  
for his name to be called for his  
interview. He had been on time after all,  
since the interviewer was running behind.  
The room was nicely furnished, the leather  
couch was not cheap, nor was the work area  
desk of the secretary. There was a real  
potted plant in one corner, unlike the fake  
silk ones other hospitals had. The paint  
job was a nice blue-gray, a welcomed change  
from the normal sterile white of most  
hospitals.  
  
Suddenly, the quiet silence of  
the waiting room was broken by the shrill  
ring of his cell phone. The other nervous  
applicants glared at him. Sheepishly,  
Mamoru quickly pushed the button to have  
the call forwarded to his voice mail  
without checking to see who it was. He  
didn't want to be distracted during his  
interview. It was important to project an  
air of dedication.  
  
Returning to his thoughts, Mamoru  
contemplated how his life would change if  
he got this position. It was make things  
a whole heck of a lot easier on him. As  
chief resident, it would bring a lot of  
prestige to his resume. Not to mention,  
the hospital itself had a pretty  
respectable oncology ward. Not as  
prestigious as Tokyo Hospital, of course,  
but it was still pretty good. As chief  
resident, he would be able to do a lot  
more things, perhaps hastening his rise  
in the medical bureaucracy.  
  
His phone rang again. Again, his  
fellow interviewees shot death glares in  
his direction. Impatiently, Mamoru slid  
his phone out to silence it.  
  
The door to the other room opened  
and a woman read aloud from a list of names.  
"Chiba Mamoru? The interviewer is ready for  
you now. You may enter."  
  
Mamoru nodded, his gaze still on  
the phone. It was a number he did not  
recognize. Deeming it unimportant, he  
bent to pick up his suitcase. Another beep  
came from his phone, indicating a text  
message. Frowning, Mamoru thought, 'Who  
in the world keeps bothering me?'  
  
The message read: Urgent. Usagi  
rushed to emergency room. Please answer.  
  
Mamoru froze in place. Usagi...  
emergency room?  
  
"Chiba-san? You shouldn't keep  
the interviewer waiting," said the woman  
with a slight frown. She placed a hand on  
her hip, as if to emphasize the fact that  
their time was important and not to be  
wasted by the lowly applicant.  
  
"I have to go. My girlfriend was  
just rushed to the hospital." Frantic,  
Mamoru hastily grabbed his things. "Is  
there a way I can re-schedule?"  
  
The woman was not sympathetic.  
"Chiba-san, our hospital will not be  
kept waiting. If you walk out of here, you  
won't have a chance for the position. As  
you can see, we have no shortage of very  
qualified applicants for this position.  
This is a chance that you should not miss."  
  
Mamoru just stared at the woman.  
He had to make a choice: Usagi or his career,  
something that he had for years, been working  
hard in order to achieve. The long nights of  
staying up to the wee hours of the morning,  
keeping awake through coffee alone, studying  
chemical reactions and parts of the human  
body. The agonizing application process to  
medical school. Being chosen for Harvard's  
very prestigious and very challenging  
medical program as a international student.  
Suffering all of Dr. Hongo's barbs and  
criticisms. Could he truly just throw it all  
away? After all, this was probably his best  
shot at obtaining such a high position in a  
very well-established hospital. The choice  
was clear.  
  
"If that's the case, then I don't  
want any position at this hospital." That  
said, he walked out of the office, the woman  
and the other applicants staring after him,  
open-mouthed in shock.  
  
*Tokyo Hospital*  
  
Mamoru jumped out of his car, jamming  
his finger on the auto-lock device as he  
hurriedly ran toward the emergency room doors.  
Thank goodness there was space in the staff  
parking lot. Otherwise, he would have parked  
his car in the ambulance lane in front of  
the ER doors if he had to. Running quickly  
through the automatic glass doors, he ran up  
to the nurses station.  
  
"What's Usagi's status," he asked, a  
little breathlessly.  
  
The older nurse blinked at him in  
surprise. "Nani? Ano, excuse me young man..."  
Luckily for the nurse, Haruka intervened  
before Mamoru began to hurl obsenities about  
her slowness and her mental capabilities.  
  
"Mamoru-san, over here" Haruka looked  
grim as she led him to the waiting room.  
  
Once he arrived, Mamoru immediately  
asked Ami, "How is she?" He had to know. The  
not knowing was killing him. All sorts of  
possibilities were racing through his mind,  
none of them pleasant. But then, he noticed  
Rei, sobbing, in Makoto's embrace. A spike  
of terror stabbed him. He couldn't breathe.  
He couldn't think. "Is..is she," his voice  
dropping to a choked whisper, "...dead?"  
  
Seeing Mamoru turning whiter than a  
sheet, Ami reluctantly answered, "We don't  
know if Usagi is still alive. She collapsed at  
her home earlier today. The doctors rushed her  
into the emergency room and are working on  
her right now, as we speak. They haven't come  
out to tell us anything yet." Mamoru collapsed  
into a chair, unable to do much of anything  
else. He felt drained, completely unable to  
think, let alone move.  
  
Haruka finally spoke again, after her  
curt message to Mamoru earlier. "Dr. Mizuno  
is in there right now, as well as Dr. Hongo."  
Her normally mischievous eyes were red from  
suppressed tears as she unclenched and  
clenched her fists. She sat down as well,  
putting her elbows on her thighs so that  
she could clench her hands together. She  
wanted to be doing something, anything, to  
help Usagi. But medicine was not her field of  
expertise. Give her a race car, a race track  
or any type of open space, and she'd give you  
one heck of a race. But here, her hands were  
tied. She couldn't make the doctors go any  
faster, just like she couldn't adjust the  
wheel and have Usagi get all better. Sometimes,  
fate was a cruel master.  
  
Suddenly, three more figures appeared  
on the scene. A very pregnant Naru looked  
wildly at the somber group. "Is Usagi ok?"  
Her husband, concern etched on his features,  
tried to get his wife to sit down, but the  
red-head just waved him impatiently away.  
"Tell ME!"  
  
A young man approached the women, whom  
Mamoru recognized as Shingo. Looking very much  
like a lost little boy, Shingo asked, "Minna,  
is onee-chan ok?" Fragile, he was so fragile.  
As if one harsh comment would shatter him.  
Unfortunately, reality was like that. It didn't  
much care if you were able to handle it or not.  
It just dealt you a hand of cards and left you  
alone, to deal with it or crumble. His green  
eyes darted from one woman to the other, never  
really focusing one any of them.  
  
Keeping a cool head, Ami took the newly  
arrived people aside and informed them as best  
as she could of the current situation.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Self-Control looked worriedly over the  
scene. What was going on? It's first appearance  
in such a long time, and this is how it was  
going to make the scene? In the middle of a  
crisis. Crap...not a good thing.  
  
But Self-Control was nothing if not  
resourceful, so it gathered its formidable  
control and kept Mamoru from breaking into a  
pile of emotional mush.  
  
Too bad it couldn't do the same thing  
to the Voice.  
  
The Voice sat there, on the mental  
ground, blubbering like a baby, his cries  
randomly interspersed with a "USAKO!"  
  
Irritated, Self-Control said, "Kami,  
will you stop it already? Kami knows we have  
enough things to handle without you going  
all crazy...well, more crazy on me!" It  
returned to the task of beating all the other  
emotional figures back with a whip and a chair.  
It felt like a bloody lion-tamer. Aw heck, it  
was even dressed like one. Grumbling something  
that sounded remarkably like, "Stupid author,"  
Self-Control cracked its whip again, driving  
Sorrow back another ten steps. "Will you get  
with the others so that I can contain this  
situation properly?" Oh no, Helplessness was  
advancing on its location. With a deft flick  
of its wrist, Self-Control drove the other  
aspect back to its original position deep in  
the psyche.  
  
The Voice just sat there, sobbing and  
gasping, ignoring the overworked Self-Control.  
Sighing, Self-Control used its wicked whip  
skills to drag the lump of Voice to the others.  
It was getting very tired of this. If it didn't  
get a rest soon, the others were going to  
break out in a tidal wave.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Dr. Mizuno tiredly removed her surgical  
mask, tossing it into a nearby medical waste  
container. She headed toward the waiting room,  
where no doubt her daughter and the rest of  
Usagi's friends and family were waiting for  
news.  
  
When the sleepy Hotaru noticed the  
doctor's thin figure approaching, she  
immediately shook the other sleeping figures  
awake.  
  
Dr. Mizuno frowned, assessing the  
heavy bags under everyone's eyes. "You are  
all very stressed. Perhaps you should all go  
home and come back when you've rested."  
  
Naru rose from her seat, assisted by  
Umino. Her hand on her back to help relieve  
the pressure of her swollen belly, her  
fatigue was quite evident in her listless  
eyes and face. But her mouth was set in a  
line of stubborness. "Iie, Mizuno-san. I,  
for one, will not leave until I find out  
what is going on with Usagi and get to see  
her."  
  
Keiko frowned even more, a furrow  
between her delicately shaped brows. "Naru,  
you're seven months pregnant. You really  
shouldn't be here." Getting no answer but  
Naru's stubborn expression, Keiko admitted  
defeat. "All right, very well, you can all  
stay, since I assume none of you will be  
leaving."  
  
Setsuna broke into the conversation,  
her strong voice laced with anxiety. "Doctor,  
please, tell us what is going on. We've  
been here for what seems like an eternity  
when it's only been two hours."  
  
Dr. Mizuno sighed. Biting her lip,  
she tried to inform the group of what was  
happening. "Usagi's tumor was increasing  
the pressure on her brain. That caused her  
to collapse. Right now, they have called in  
a neurologist to see what he can do to help.  
Usagi has been taken to the operating room  
and he's getting started immediately. I was  
asked to leave, since it was not my area of  
expertise and I would just be in the way."  
  
"How long will it take, okaa-san?"  
  
Dr. Mizuno faced her daughter. "It  
depends, Ami. It depends on a number of  
factors. If the doctor can't work fast  
enough, it could very well lead to fatal  
consequences. Demo, I have faith in the  
neurologist. He is the finest in his field.  
If anyone can help, he can."  
  
Makoto spoke up, asking a question  
that the others wanted to, but couldn't.  
"If it works, Mizuno-san, will Usagi be ok?"  
  
A small smile graced Dr. Mizuno's  
haunted face. "We can hope so, Makoto. At  
least she'll be alive. Demo..." and she  
trailed off.  
  
"What, doctor," asked Shingo. Dread  
began to gnaw at him again. He knew Dr.  
Mizuno and she hardly ever prevaricated like  
this.  
  
Shaking her head, Dr. Mizuno replied,  
"I don't want to speculate until the  
neurologist assesses Usagi. We'll all find  
out then." She glanced at her pager. "I have  
to go now. I have some patients to check up  
on. The neurologist has been told that he  
is to inform you all as soon as he knows  
anything. Ami, call me when you find out,  
ne?" Ami nodded. "Good. Minna, try to get  
some rest. It's been a long day," she  
glanced at her watch, "rather, just a long  
morning for us." With a small nod, Dr. Mizuno  
left, off to her rounds. She didn't want to  
tell them what the doctor suspected, what  
they all suspected. At least, this way, they  
could hold onto hope for a little longer.  
  
Translations:  
None  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Hee hee...my stupid month of testing  
is almost done! Wai wai! And I was able to  
write another chapter. It's amazing! We'll  
just have to see if I can keep it going ^^;  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	20. A Flutter in the Breeze

*Disclaimer: Hmm...funny one, non-funny one?   
...let's just stick to the facts then, for   
this round...I don't own BSSM...not yet,   
anyway...::insane laughter::   
  
Medical Miracle   
Chapter 18: A Flutter in the Breeze   
By: The Rose Society   
Rating: PG-13   
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com   
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/   
  
Usagi sat upon the uncomfortable   
hospital bed, her hands clasped in her   
lap. She was finally going home today. A   
week after she had collapsed, she had   
slowly emerged from her coma. After a few   
tests, Dr. Hongo and the neurologist had   
pronounced her fit to go home. There was   
no change in her prognosis, it was as   
bleak, if not more so, as before her stay   
in the hospital. They had treated the   
symptom, the limit of their ability to help.   
But there was no treatment for her cancer,   
nothing that anyone could do for her. So   
Usagi demanded that she go home.   
  
Despite various pleas from her   
friends, Usagi stuck to her wishes on this   
matter. She did not want to be in the   
hospital for the remaining days of her   
life, even if being there meant that there   
was less of a chance of her hurting herself   
if she collapsed again. Staying there would   
mean cutting herself off from the life she   
had known until then, the normalcy, the   
security of her own surroundings. Besides,   
there was nothing the doctors could really   
do if she were to become ill again. True,   
they could treat some of the immediate   
effects, but that would only prolong her   
suffering.   
  
Usagi had never been big on pain.   
No, if she was going to die soon, then Usagi   
wanted it to be on her own terms, in her own   
place of choosing. Cancer had taken so many   
things from her, eventually even her life,   
but it wouldn't take her ability to live the   
way she wanted to. The way she would choose   
to, had it not been for her illness.   
  
Glancing at the clock on the wall,   
she knew that Mamoru was going to pick her   
up soon. Shingo had gone back home with her   
friends in order to prepare their house for   
her return. Usagi would be staying in the   
downstairs guest room, where it would be   
safer for her than climbing up stairs to   
get to her old room since childhood.   
Makoto was already cooking up a storm,   
laying in a supply of food for her and her   
brother. Most of her friends were juggling   
around their schedules, making sure that   
a few of them would be able to stay at   
Usagi's house, so that they could assist   
her in anything she needed.   
  
Usagi had protested vehemently   
against that idea until Rei and Haruka's   
glares quieted her. Her friends were not   
going to let her argue them out of their   
plan. With a sigh, Usagi leaned back   
against her pillows. She was tired, both   
physically and mentally. She hated being   
an invalid, hated it. But at least she   
had been able to finish teaching the   
school year. Most of her personal business   
had been attended to. The only thing she   
had to do was lay back and relax.   
  
'And wait for death,' she thought   
morosely. Usagi could feel the tightness   
in her chest, as hot tears threatened to   
spill again. But she bit her lip and   
forced the tears back, forced her chest   
to loosen. She had to be strong, if not   
for herself, then for her friends and   
her brother. And for Mamoru.   
  
The poor man had been by her side,   
with Shingo, every single day of her coma.   
Michiru had tried to get both of them to   
go home to sleep, but they had both ignored   
her. It didn't help that the rest of her   
friends also refused to budge an inch, even   
though not all of them could fit in her   
hospital room all at once. Those that were   
not directly at her bedside were in various   
chairs or cots in Dr. Hongo's or Mamoru's   
office, getting a few snatches of sleep   
when possible. They basically lived at the   
hospital, only going home to shower or   
cook some food, only to return promptly to   
the hospital in case some new development   
had occurred. It was very lucky that most of   
the hospital staff was very understanding of   
their sentiments, because if the staff had   
insisted that Usagi's visitors leave...well,   
let's just say that between Makoto, Haruka,   
and Rei, the hospital wouldn't still be   
standing.   
  
When Usagi had finally awoken, she   
was shocked. Everyone was a little paler,   
a little older, as if the stress had caused   
them all to age much more quickly than   
normal. But when they saw that Usagi had   
finally awoken, hope had chased away the   
dull gleam of dread in all of their eyes.   
Minako and Hotaru had broken down, sobbing   
in relief, while the rest of her friends   
all tried to hug her at the same time, their   
own eyes glimmering with unshed tears of joy.   
The commotion had caused Dr. Hongo to come   
running around the corner, terrified that   
something horrible had happened. When she   
saw that Usagi's eyes had opened and she   
was aware and conscious, the usually stoic   
woman gave a cry of relief, before her   
professional persona took the reins again   
and she began to shoo everyone out of the   
way so that she could make an assessment.   
But Usagi could tell that Dr. Hongo was   
relieved. The doctor's hands were shaking as   
she left to summon the neurologist.   
  
Quiet footsteps at the door   
interrupted Usagi's thoughts. Mamoru came   
into view, his dark hair still damp and his   
face freshly shaven. He was basically   
shining with happiness, a smile present on   
his face. It was a change from the lost   
look he had had for the past week. Many of   
the nurses and other doctors on the floor   
had smiled when he passed them by on his   
way back to Usagi's room; it was as if his   
happiness was contagious.   
  
He had come up to Usagi's room, as   
quietly as possible, not wanted to disturb   
her if she was sleeping. He had found his   
beloved Usako sitting upon her bed, lost in   
her thoughts. Mamoru could not keep the joy   
in his heart from soaring. Of course,   
underneath everything was the knowledge that   
Usagi's time was limited, despite her rally   
from this bout with the disease. But she was   
still alive, still around for him to touch,   
to assure himself of her presence. Just a few   
days ago, when he had learned of her collapse,   
had seen her frail form lying so pale, so still   
against the white sheets of the hospital bed,   
Mamoru had felt as if his entire world had   
gone spiraling out of control. He could see   
how tired his beloved was, the dark circles   
under her cheeks a very noticeable mar to her   
features. To have her still alive, moving   
around, looking at him with those luminous   
blue eyes...it made him more peaceful, more   
complete.   
  
Smiling, Usagi greeted Mamoru with   
a kiss on the cheek. He smelled wonderful,   
a hint of roses from his aftershave. He also   
had that scent of sunshine, something   
undescribable, that she loved about him. He   
slid his hand down her arm, until he loosely   
held her fingers, placing a gentle kiss upon   
her knuckles. She could feel tendrils of heat   
spread onto her cheeks from his tender kiss   
and seeing her flush made Mamoru ever the more   
happy with the knowledge that he was the one to   
make Usagi feel that way.   
  
"Ready to go home, Usako?"   
  
Laughing, Usagi pointed to her already   
packed items. "You bet I am, Mamo-chan. I   
thought that I was going to have to drag   
myself home if you didn't show up soon."   
  
With a grin, Mamoru jokingly bowed.   
"Gomen nasai, hime-sama, for keeping you   
waiting. That was horribly un-noble of me."   
He wriggled his eyebrows. "Care to forgive me   
with a kiss?"   
  
Usagi feigned a regal stance and   
gave a royal sniff of annoyance. "Keep this   
up, Sir knight and you might find yourself   
demoted!"   
  
Their laughter filled the room. It   
had been a long time since either of them had   
truly felt something other than sorrow.   
Bending somewhat next to the bed, Mamoru   
let Usagi slip a hand onto his shoulder.   
Steadying herself, Mamoru helped her into   
the wheelchair.   
  
Grimacing, Usagi slowly lowered   
herself into the chair. "Is this really   
necessary," she asked.   
  
Solemn, Mamoru nodded. "Hai, Usako.   
Dr. Hongo and the neurologist both agreed   
that it was better for you to use the   
chair. The tumor is causing pressure on your   
motor cortex and will be interfering with   
your movements. Better safe than sorry."   
  
Heaving a sigh, Usagi grabbed her   
small overnight bag. "Just wanted to ask   
again. I hate having to do this but I suppose   
that you are right." Brightening, Usagi   
glanced at the open door. "I'd do anything   
to get out of this place."   
  
"Isn't someone just a tad eager?"   
Both Mamoru and Usagi looked toward the door,   
at the new entrant. Dr. Hongo walked into the   
room, her green doctor eyes surveying her   
patient carefully. Mamoru gave the doctor a   
curt nod; after all, despite their own icy   
relationship, she was the woman who saved   
Usagi's life. He owed her, at the very least,   
some civility.   
  
Giggling, Usagi said, "Of course I   
am, Hongo-sensei! I know that if you were   
stuck in here, Ayanami, you'd be climbing   
the walls and making everyone on this floor   
miserable with your desire to leave. At least   
I'm following the rules and I haven't yelled   
at every nurse and doctor on the floor."   
  
Unabashed, Dr. Hongo smiled as she   
picked up Usagi's chart. "Very true,   
Usagi-chan, very true." She winked at her   
friend, who laughed again. "Well," Dr. Hongo   
remarked as she flipped through the pages,   
"it seems everything is in order. You're   
ready to be released." Smiling, Mamoru pushed   
Usagi's wheelchair out of the room, Dr.   
Hongo behind them. All the doctors, nurses   
and staff members of the floor cheered as   
Usagi went home, a chorus of well-wishes and   
goodbyes following her out. Usagi emerged   
from the hospital, her lap full of cards,   
gifts, stuffed animals, and a hand full of   
balloons, from her co-workers and friends.   
Mamoru gently helped Usagi into the car and   
then stuffed all her parting gifts into his   
trunk as best as he could.   
  
Putting on her seatbelt, Usagi   
laid her head on the headrest of Mamoru's   
car's passenger seat. "Tired," Mamoru   
asked as he slid into the driver's seat.   
  
Eyes closed, Usagi slowly nodded.   
"I just want to go home and rest. I don't   
ever want to see those white walls again...   
well, at least with myself as a patient and   
not a volunteer."   
  
Starting the engine, Mamoru replied,   
"Just one quick stop by Rei-chan's temple.   
She wanted me to pick up something for her   
before we go to your house. Something about   
being unable to sleep at your house unless   
she made sure Yuuichirou wouldn't try to   
destroy her broom while she was away." With   
more laughter, the pair drove away from the   
hospital in comfortable silence to the   
Hikawa Jinja.   
  
*Hikawa Jinja*   
  
Parking his car along the street,   
Mamoru exited his side of the vehicle.   
Opening Usagi's door, he held out his hand   
to her, expectantly. She looked at him in   
surprise. "What are you doing, Mamo-chan?"   
  
A small smile lit his face. "I want   
you to come with me to the jinja."   
  
Usagi felt her heart sink. "Mamoru,   
I can't walk, at least not well. Do you think   
I can even make it out of this car, let alone   
up those steps? Just get the broom for   
Rei-chan and then we can leave." Why in the   
world was Mamoru trying to force her to get out   
of the car? He knew her condition. What was he   
trying to pull?   
  
Shaking his head, Mamoru continued to   
hold his hand out to Usagi. "Yuuichirou wanted   
to see you. I told him that I would bring you   
over today. He wants to give you something."   
There was a pleading look in his eyes, a look   
coupled with stubborness that Usagi recognized.   
She knew that he wanted her to do this for him,   
even though he didn't quite put it in those   
words and that he wouldn't give up very easily.   
He could be the stubbornest man in the world   
sometimes, when he wanted to. Besides, she   
would have to try walking sometime. She refused   
to be confined to a wheelchair if she could   
actually walk.   
  
Frowning, Usagi finally nodded. Glad   
to see her give in, Mamoru placed his left   
arm around Usagi's back and the right under   
her legs. To her complete surprise, he lifted   
her out of the car, slammed the door with his   
hip and began walking toward the steps.   
  
"Mamo-chan, what are you doing," Usagi   
yelped. "Put me down!" Darting her eyes from   
side to side, she could see that they were   
attracting the attention from everyone around.   
She smothered a groan. Dear lord, she was   
being humiliated in front of the entire   
population of Tokyo!   
  
Mamoru shook his head. "What kind of   
knight would I be if I let my princess walk?   
Now, no more complaints, Usagi-hime, just wrap   
your arms around my neck and look the part of   
the giggly princess, alright?" Usagi complied,   
her cheeks pinkening in embarrassment. Burrowing   
her face in the crook of his shoulder, she just   
hoped that no one would recognize her.   
  
Slowly, Mamoru climbed the stairs,   
carrying Usagi the entire way, princess style.   
Some pedestrians on the sidewalk smiled,   
basking in the feeling of love and happiness   
the young couple radiated. It was refreshing   
to see two people in love.   
  
As Mamoru and Usagi neared the top of   
the steps, Usagi could see the roofs of the   
temple building come into view. The sun shone   
its pleasant light upon the courtyard,   
emphasizing the peacefulness and tranquility.   
Then, she gasped, her entire mind freezing in   
surprise. The trees, every tree on the temple   
grounds, had their branches covered in tiny   
white pieces of cloth. It was as if the trees   
had all undergone a color transformation or   
that they had become covered in snow in the   
middle of summer. And there, in front of the   
trees, were all her friends and family, even   
the very pregnant Naru, smiling at her.   
  
Gently, Mamoru placed her on the   
ground, his arm supporting her around her   
waist, as he whispered in her ear. "Surprise,   
Usako," he said as he gently kissed her temple.   
Awed, Usagi's eyes stared at the trees, trying   
to comprehend the sheer magnitude of what she   
was seeing. Her friends must have spent hours,   
ripping white strips of cloth to tie on the   
branches. In the Shinto tradition, a person   
would write a prayer down on the piece of   
cloth and a priest or priestess would tie the   
cloth onto a tree. The gods would hear their   
prayers and grant their wishes. Every tree on   
the temple grounds was white with little   
fluttering pieces of cloth.   
  
"They're prayers for your recovery,"   
said Naru, her voice thick with tears. "We   
all want you to get better, Usagi-chan." Every   
nodded, exhilarated to see Usagi out of the   
hospital, pleased that their surprise had gone   
off so smoothly, and yet oddly saddened with   
the quiet knowledge that nothing they could do   
would help their best friend.   
  
Shingo spoke up, trying his best to   
convey to his sister his feelings. "We wanted,   
all of us, to let you know how much you mean   
to us, onee-chan. I know that we might not   
always say it, but we love you and we all   
pray that you get better. Like the other legend   
says, there are a thousand pieces of cloth,   
all with the same message: Let Usagi get   
better."   
  
Trying three times to speak, Usagi   
finally managed to get out a soft, "Arigato."   
Grinning despite their crying, her friends   
immediately approached the blonde, welcoming   
her back. Tears falling freely, Usagi tried to   
hug all everyone at the same time. As all of   
her most cherished people gathered around her,   
sharing their grief, their pain, and their hope,   
Usagi made a silent prayer of her own.   
  
"Please, let me get better."   
  
Translations:   
  
onee-chan- older sister   
  
Author Notes:   
  
::gags:: I should be studying...but NO!   
I wrote instead =D Um, two midterms coming up   
so...I'll be dead for awhile 


	21. A Promise Made

*Disclaimer: One of my new year's resolutions  
is to obtain ownership of Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailor Moon. But until then, these disclaimers  
will have to remain.  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 19: A Promise Made  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.wishing-blue.net/kii/ *NEW*  
  
  
Laying upon her bed, Usagi  
watched as the rain gently fell from the  
roof, the wet drops merrily tapping out  
a melody on the ground below. She watched  
as the leaves of the tree nearest to her  
window danced in the rain, much as she  
would have done only a year ago. She loved  
all sorts of weather, but rain held a  
special place in her heart. There was  
something comforting about the water falling  
from the sky, like the tears of angels.  
A symbol of purity, rain came from the  
heavens to wash away the grime and dirt of  
Earth. Rain was a way for things to be  
reborn, to leave the old shell and emerge  
transformed, beautified.  
  
Sighing, Usagi turned her head  
away from the window. Soon, she would be  
entering her own rebirth. She would soon  
leave her mortal shell and journey beyond,  
to rejoin her parents. There was a measure  
of relief in this knowledge. As the disease  
progressed, the unflappable strength of her  
youth seemed to flee her body, frightened by  
the foreign entity growing within her. She  
began to lose weight, her famous appetite of  
her teenage years forgotten. She was more  
subdued than normal, surpassing even the  
quiet nature that had come after the death  
of her parents.  
  
At first, her friends had tried to  
keep her in good spirits. They teased her  
about her appetite, exclaiming in disbelief  
when she said that she was no longer hungry.  
But beneath their smiles, Usagi could see the  
hidden worry in their eyes. As her health  
slowly failed, those nearest to her began to  
grow more solemn, more frightened.  
  
Every day, Ami, Setsuna and Hotaru  
poured over the latest cancer research  
papers, hoping beyond hope to find something,  
anything, that might help Usagi fight her  
progressing disease. Setsuna had talked to  
her colleagues and found that her drug company  
that she worked for had created a new drug  
that might be able to help fight cancer. But  
it was untested and only in its experimental  
stage.  
  
A week ago, Setsuna had entered her  
room, trying to keep as silent as possible,  
in case Usagi was asleep. Finding the blonde  
wide awake, Setsuna had set herself in the  
bedside chair, her eyes unusually serious.  
"Usagi-chan," she had said, "I've asked around  
and we have approval for a drug trial. I was  
able to get you into the program. You'll be one  
of the first ones to try the new drug and it  
just might help you defeat your cancer."  
  
It had been one of her bad days.  
Blinking her blue eyes, Usagi fought against  
the pain that pulsed in her head. She had  
replied, "I always wanted to be a pioneer." A  
dry cough had followed. Alarmed, Setsuna had  
immediately grabbed Usagi's cup of water and  
helped the weakened blonde to take a drink.  
With a sigh, Usagi had settled back upon her  
pillow. "If this will help you, of course I'll  
participate, Setsuna. After all, the only thing  
I can help you with now is being a guinea pig."  
At her friends' stricken looks, contrition had  
struck. "Don't worry, Setsuna-tachi. I'll  
continue to fight. It hasn't beaten me yet!"  
  
But despite the fact that she now had  
an experimental drug running through her veins  
via daily injections, Usagi did not feel as  
hopeful as she tried to appear for her friends.  
She had been battling brain cancer for the  
longest time now. Dr. Hongo had tried everything  
and anything, looking for a way to help her  
patient and friend. But it had been to no avail.  
Every piece of literature said that this type of  
cancer was inoperable, incurable, and  
ultimately, deadly. Most drug companies didn't  
even conduct drug research for this type of  
cancer, since it was deemed a hopeless  
pursuit.  
  
How much longer could she hold on?  
Her friends and family could sense the sand  
slipping from the hour glass faster and faster.  
Shingo came to her room everyday after classes,  
as soon as he got home. He would share stories  
about certain professors and their quirks,  
often bringing a smile to his sister's face.  
Then, he would help his sister out into the  
kitchen, where anyone who was at the Tsukino  
home would all share in a dinner. By now, most  
of her friends had practically moved in with  
Usagi. Shinozaki had taken over running of the  
store, so that Makoto was free to spend her  
time at Usagi's. Minako, Michiru and Haruka  
were on vacation, so they were free as well,  
stuck to Usagi as if they were bodyguards. Ami  
and Hotaru would come as soon as they finished  
their rounds and spend their nights in the  
Tsukino home. Setsuna would join the group as  
soon as her shift ended, often picking up Rei  
from the temple. They were all trying to spend  
as much time as possible with their friend,  
knowing that the end loomed large over their  
heads.  
  
A hand suddenly placed itself over her  
own. Turning, Usagi saw the owner of the hand  
and smiled. Returning her smile, Mamoru sat  
down next to her, not saying a word.  
  
A day after her return, Usagi awoke to  
find Mamoru in the kitchen, drinking a cup of  
coffee with Haruka and Makoto. Startled, she  
asked, "Why are you still here, Mamoru?"  
  
Standing up, Makoto started to pour  
another cup of coffee while Mamoru went to  
give Usagi a quick kiss on the head. "What a  
way to greet your boyfriend in the morning,  
Usako."  
  
Blushing to the roots of her hair,  
Usagi was silent until her face could cool.  
Laughing at her expression, he motioned for  
her to sit down at the breakfast table. This  
whole relationship thing was new to the both of  
them and Usagi was very unaccustomed to showing  
affection in front of her friends. Haruka and  
Makoto joined in the laugher at Usagi's  
discomfort before both left the couple alone,  
sensing their need to sort some things out.  
  
'Hey, what the heck just happened  
there?' Self-Control was a bit put out,  
considering the wacky author had just did  
something very out of character to Mamoru.  
  
'Calm down, old chum,' replied the  
Voice. 'Mamoru is just showing his lady-love  
some affection. Is that illegal or something?'  
It returned to watch the unfolding scene.  
  
'In fact, it is.' Taking out a thick  
manual, Self-Control quoted, 'Chapter 8,  
Section 3, Paragraph 15: Public displays of  
affection are expressly forbidden for Chiba  
Mamoru. The consequences of such an action  
would bring untold embarrassment and would open  
the host to so much possible pain that such an  
action is NOT to occur.' Closing the thick  
manual, Self-Control smirked, assured of its  
victory. There was no answer. 'Hey, did you  
hear me?' Still no answer. Irritated at being  
ignored, Self-Control heaved the manual with  
both hands and brought it crashing upon the  
Voice's head.  
  
'HEY!!!! That HURT!'  
  
'No kidding, idiot,' replied  
Self-Control. 'It was meant to.'  
  
'What did you do that for?' The Voice  
rubbed the immense bump on its head, grimacing.  
  
'To get your attention. You just did  
something that is expressly forbidden. What do  
you have to say for yourself?' Self-Control put  
its hands upon its hips, demanding an answer.  
  
Before the Voice could reply, however,  
a horde of personality aspects poured into the  
arena. Logic, the usual speaker for the group,  
turned to hand Self-Control a piece of paper.  
'Huh?' The note read: Attention all  
personalities. The Manual on Chiba Mamoru has  
now been revised, due to new developments.  
Please study the new manual and make note of  
all changes.  
  
Self-Control turned to the group,  
confused. 'Why wasn't I made aware of this?'  
  
Logic coughed, balancing its small  
glasses. 'You and the Voice have not been  
attending the scheduled meetings, as you  
should have. This was created in the meeting  
following the kiss.' Several sighs came from  
the more hormonal section of the personality  
aspects. Undeterred, Logic continued, 'Since  
the time of the host's love is limited, it  
has been decreed that the Voice be allowed  
to make as many decisions as possible-' A  
whoop came from the Voice. Glaring at the  
interruption, Logic continued, 'in regards  
to Tsukino Usagi. Self-Control is to remain  
in control of other aspects. Veto power  
remains with the group, as always. The Voice,  
however, is NOT to go overboard and is asked  
to at least confer with Self-Control before  
decisions are made.'  
  
Love stepped in, for the first time  
in their existences. All made way for the  
newcomer. 'Time is precious for these two.  
Let the host savor each moment without silly  
limitations based on fear of embarrassment  
or pain. She won't hurt him in any way.' It  
looked at the scene and smiled. Gently, Love  
pulled Depression, Fear, Loneliness and all  
the other dark emotions into its embrace.  
'Rest, for you shall not be needed for awhile  
yet.' Slowly, all of the personality aspects  
faded away until only an elated Voice and a  
disgruntled Self-Control remained.  
  
'I HAVE DA POWER!!!' The Voice cackled  
evilly as its rubbed its hands together. It  
looked madly at the scene while Self-Control  
shook its head. Out of the darkness, a metal  
probe with a label that bore markings that  
looked like the words 'VETO' streaked out and  
gave a healthy jolt to the Voice.  
  
'Remember, contain yourself,' came a  
disembodied voice.  
  
Seeing stars, the Voice merely laid  
there as Self-Control shook its head once more.  
'We're doomed,' was its last thought.  
  
"Why are you still here, Mamo-chan,"  
asked Usagi, once she was sure that her  
friends weren't spying on them.  
  
Mamoru looked at his love, amusement  
in his eyes. "Are you embarrassed to be seen  
with me, Usako?"  
  
Appalled, Usagi turned around quickly  
from her place by the kitchen door. "Of  
course not, Mamo-chan!" She sat in a chair  
next to Mamoru and took a sip from her coffee.  
"It's just that, well, I'm surprised that  
you're still here and not at the hospital.  
And that kiss back there...it was sort of  
weird for me." She waved her hands when  
Mamoru's face began to fall. "Don't get me  
wrong, I'm not embarrassed of our  
relationships. It's just that I'm unused to  
showing such public displays."  
  
Sighing, Mamoru gently pried Usagi's  
fingers from her coffee cup. Holding her  
hands lightly, he gave each hand a kiss  
before he placed their still joined hands  
back on the table. Rubbing his thumbs against  
her fingers, he sought to find the exact  
words to describe the change. "You see, Usako,  
this is my first relationship. It's your  
first real relationship in a long time. I've  
wasted too many years with you. I want to  
make up for lost time." He squeezed her hands  
gently. "I love you, Usa, with such a wealth  
of emotion that it frightens me. Everything  
in me screams to take it slowly. But, we  
can't." He placed her right hand against his  
cheek, covering it with his left hand. "For  
once in my life, I want to fall into love,  
fall so far that I'll never find my way back  
out. I want to forget my fears, forget my  
past, forget everything else exists except  
for you. I want to live in a world where  
there is nothing but you."  
  
Trembling, Usagi felt hot tears make  
their way down her cheeks. Pulling her to  
him, Mamoru cradled Usagi's form, resting his  
chin upon her soft hair. "No more hospital,  
no more Dr. Hongo, no more anything, except  
for you. If you don't get better, if you  
d..." his voice choked but he rambled on,  
"die, there will always be time for me to  
pursue those things afterwards. If you get  
better, I can be a doctor with you by my side.  
But the future is uncertain. I can't open a  
door and learn what the future holds. So, I  
won't take any chances. I'm going to hold onto  
what matters most to me. And that's you, Usa."  
  
Lifting her hand without looking,  
Usagi placed her fingers on Mamoru's lips,  
silencing him. "I love you, Mamo-chan. I know  
that your mind is made up about this and I  
can't change it. I can tell that from the  
stubborn line of your chin." He smiled,  
unseen. "Do what you think is best, Mamo-chan.  
But, promise me one thing."  
  
"Anything, aisuru."  
  
She closed her eyes, listening to  
Mamoru's heartbeat, letting the strong sound  
chase away her fears. "No matter what happens  
to me, you'll follow your dreams and become  
the best doctor that Japan has ever seen."  
  
Closing his own eyes against his  
tears, Mamoru nodded. "I promise, Usako." With  
that, the pair sat in the quiet of the kitchen,  
just holding onto each other, holding onto the  
moment.  
  
Ever since, Mamoru had not left the  
Tsukino house. He had asked Motoki to bring his  
clothes from his apartment, as well as a few  
other items. Shingo let him stay in the house,  
accepting this new man in his sister's life. He  
was happy for his older sister. Not since the  
accident had he seen Usagi so happy, so lively.  
All of her friends approved, although some took  
a little longer than the others. Mamoru cringed  
at the memory of Haruka pulling him aside, and  
with a grip of iron upon his shoulder, warned  
him that if he broke Usagi's heart, the racer  
would personally do horrible things to him that  
Mamoru didn't think humanly possible, and make  
sure that no one found his body. Usagi felt his  
shudder at the memory and tugged at his hand.  
With a smile of reassurance, Mamoru dismissed  
the issue.  
  
"I want to do something today, Mamo-chan,"  
Usagi said, startling the man. The day had just  
dawned, so to speak, since it was raining. Usagi  
had been unwell for awhile now, lacking the  
energy to do anything besides stay in bed. Her  
normal rosy cheeks were paler, drained of color.  
  
"Are you sure, Usako? You haven't been  
feeling well, and it's raining out--"  
  
Shaking her head, Usagi frowned. "There  
is a feeling I have. I don't want to stay inside  
today. I want to go outside. Onegai?"  
  
Looking at her pleading expression,  
Mamoru finally relented. "Alright, Usako. Where  
do you want to go?"  
  
Chewing her lip, Usagi looked out the  
window once more. "Let's have a picnic."  
  
"A PICNIC?" Both Usagi and Mamoru turned  
to the door in surprise. A sleepy looking Rei  
stared at Usagi in disbelief. "Odango, are you  
insane? It's raining today! How in the world  
can you go on a picnic?"  
  
Yawning, Haruka looked inside, her short  
blonde hair sticking up in gravity-defying  
positions. "Picnic? Huh? What's going on?"  
  
"Usagi here just said that she wants to  
go on a picnic." Rei crossed her flannel clad  
arms.  
  
"I just wanted to go outside today,  
minna," Usagi said with a sigh. She looked at  
the rain falling merrily outside. She seemed so  
forlorn, the gray weather outside making her  
seem almost transparent, outer-worldly.  
  
Feeling her heart squeeze painfully,  
Haruka straightened. "Don't worry, neko-chan.  
If you want to go on a picnic today, you'll go  
on that picnic." Tugging on Rei's arm, she  
called over her shoulder, "Don't worry about a  
thing, neko! We'll plan all the details." The  
door closed with a slam.  
  
Outside, Rei pulled away, irritated.  
"Are you as insane as Odango, Haruka-san?" Her  
voice was rising with her outrage.  
  
Shooting a look at the priestess,  
Haruka motioned for Rei to follow her into the  
kitchen. The other girls and Shingo, just  
waking up more or less, greeted them.  
  
"Usagi wants to go on a picnic, minna,"  
started Haruka. All head jerked up, confused.  
  
"How in the world are we going to go on  
a picnic during a rainy day?" Minako tossed a  
generous amount of creamer into her coffee,  
stirring absentmindedly.  
  
"I don't know," replied Haruka, looking  
out the window. "But you didn't see her, sitting  
there on her bed. She looks like she's already  
leaving us. We're her friends, her family. How  
can we deny her request?"  
  
All were quiet as they considered  
Haruka's words. "Well," said Ami softly. "Maybe  
there is a way." She looked up. "Haruka, Michiru,  
Mina-P, do you think you could make some calls?  
Can you see if one of your contacts could get  
Tokyo Tower reserved for just us tonight? It  
should stop raining by then."  
  
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "You want to  
have a picnic at night?" She pondered for a  
moment before she brightened. "What a wonderful  
idea, Ami! We can have a picnic with a view of  
Tokyo at night, as well as the stars. It will  
be beautiful."  
  
Grinning, Makoto stood up. "Well, sounds  
great to me. What are we sitting here for? We  
have a ton of things to do! Rei, Hotaru, do you  
think you guys can help me go to the store? I'll  
need a few new supplies and then I can whip up  
the best picnic we've ever had." Smiling, the  
ten headed their separate ways, some to work, to  
school, to the store, or to the phone.  
  
At seven that night, the group set out.  
Haruka, Michiru, Ami and Rei in Haruka's car,  
Mamoru, Usagi, Shingo, Chibi-Usa, who had begged  
to go along, despite having school the next day,  
and Setsuna in Mamoru's car, and Minako, Hotaru,  
Makoto and four huge picnic baskets in Minako's  
rental car. The group drove to Tokyo Tower, which,  
thanks to a few favors to Minako and Haruka, was  
completely empty. They rose the elevator up to  
the observatory level and set out their feast.  
Amongst the lights of the city and the flickers  
of starlight and moonlight, the group dined and  
chatted, laughing with joy.  
  
After the meal had ended, Usagi  
suggested that they all stargaze before heading  
back. With Chibi-Usa, asleep against her side,  
Usagi stretched out on the floor onto of an old  
blanket, leaning against Mamoru. Her friends  
were all around her, their eyes turned to the  
beautiful night sky, some lost in conversation,  
others in peaceful contemplation.  
  
"This was a wonderful idea, Usagi-chan,"  
said Rei, her voice echoing slightly in the  
empty metal room.  
  
After smiling in acknowledgement, Usagi  
turned her attention back on the clear night sky.  
Thankfully, the clouds had cleared out and the  
rain had stopped, leaving nothing in the way of  
the millions of tiny pinpricks of light. Mamoru,  
his chest to Usagi's back and his long legs  
stretched out next to hers, hugged his blonde  
love. "Are you enjoying yourself," he asked  
quietly.  
  
She snuggled closer in his embrace and  
smiled. "Immensely, Mamo-chan. What more could  
I ask for? My brother, my friends, and my  
beloved are all here, with me, enjoying one of  
the most beautiful sights in the world."  
  
Usagi turned back to look at Mamoru  
and squeezed his hand. She looked at the warm  
weight next to her. "Poor Chibi-Usa." Usagi  
could clearly see the tearstains on the girl's  
cheeks. "I wish you didn't have to suffer any  
more, sweetie. I wish that more than anything."  
She hugged the tiny girl's form and the girl  
smiled in her sleep. "I wish I could be there  
for you, Chibi-Usa. I would have loved to have  
been able to help take care of you. But I know  
that Ami-tachi will do a fine job caring for  
you. I'm glad that Setsuna has decided to adopt  
you. She'll make an excellent mother." She  
looked towards the friend she spoke of, and then  
looked at her other friends, her family,  
actually. They had seen her through everything.  
School, the pain of losing her parents, the  
difficulties of making a life for herself and  
her brother, and her cancer. They were closer  
than most families.  
  
Moonlight shone into the observatory  
room, bathing all occupants in its ethereal  
light. Silver masked Usagi's blonde hair and  
her delicate features, making her seem as she  
did before the cancer ravaged her body. She was  
a beautiful sprite. Mamoru's breath caught.  
Placing a kiss on her cheek, Mamoru held the  
hand that was unencumbered by Chibi-Usa, not  
wanting to let go. He listened to Usagi's  
soft breathing, felt her warmth against his  
chest, the softness of her skin where their  
hands met. He reveled in every single  
sensation as he stared out into the night  
sky.  
  
Suddenly, a streak of light arched in  
the night sky. With a gasp, Minako whispered,  
"It's a shooting star! Make a wish, minna."  
  
Everyone closed their eyes, silently  
wishing. Her heart full of happiness, Usagi  
closed her eyes and wished for nothing. She  
already had everything.  
  
When he opened his eyes, Mamoru  
whispered in Usagi's ear, "What did you wish  
for?" There was no answer. "Usako?" He shook  
her gently, thinking her asleep. His efforts  
caused Usagi's hand to slip from his own,  
lifeless.  
  
Translations:  
  
aisuru- beloved  
minna- everybody  
name-tachi- basically means everyone  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Break was wonderful! Really refreshed  
my mind. Hope you enjoy this latest piece!  
Until the next chapter...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~ 


	22. A Promise Kept

*Disclaimer: No own, not even a teeny weeny  
little percentage. ::frowns:: BSSM is a huge  
business! Can't Takeuchi-san give me a tiny  
percentage, like .5% or something? Please?  
  
Medical Miracle  
Chapter 20: A Promise Kept  
By: The Rose Society  
Rating: PG-13  
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com  
http://www.wishing-blue.net/kii/ *NEW*  
  
  
He was late, again. It wasn't his  
fault, really. A patient of his was sick last  
night, a little girl. Her parents both loved  
her very much, but there were bills to pay  
and now, huge medical bills too. They both had  
to catch some sleep at night or else they  
wouldn't be able to work. One of them losing  
their job would force them to have to become  
homeless, just so they could keep paying for  
their daughter's cancer treatments. So Chiba  
Mamoru had stayed up with the child as she  
cried, hoping to comfort her somewhat.  
  
It was just a year ago, when the  
young intern, fresh from medical school in the  
United States, ran into Tokyo Hospital. It was  
just a year ago that he first ran down these  
hallways, passed the same nurses and doctors,  
and sadly, passed the same patients.  
  
He still looked the same, the young  
man that was tearing down the hall. He still  
had the same jet-black hair, always falling  
haphazardly into his eyes at odd intervals,  
obscuring his brilliant blue eyes. His tall  
frame was still trim and slightly muscular,  
his skin slightly tanned. He had on his  
familiar white lab coat, black slacks, dress  
shirt and tie, his dress shoes gripping the  
linoleum floor as best as they could manage.  
  
But, a year can make for a large  
change in a person. In that short period of  
time, the young man in question went from  
friendless, cheerless, loner to a completely  
different person. Now, he would often greet  
other doctors and nurses by name, pausing,  
if he wasn't late, to chat a little with  
them. His patients didn't cry in fear when  
he made his rounds. Instead, they all looked  
forward to his visits, knowing that he would  
have something funny and interesting to say,  
at the very least. He often was able to pull  
a few strings too, especially for the  
patient's family. If visiting hours were  
during their work hours, he got them  
permission to visit when it was best for the  
family. All in all, the man that was tearing  
down the hall was not the same man from a  
year ago.  
  
Mamoru slid around the corner, giving  
the nurse he startled and almost ran over an  
apologetic look. He really needed to install  
a radar system or else he would end up bumping  
into some poor soul. That reminded him of  
Usagi and how she used to run him down on her  
mad dashes to school...  
  
'No,' Mamoru thought, 'I can't think  
of her right now. It'll distract me.'  
  
Luckily for him, before his mind could  
argue, he slid into the chair in front of Doctor  
Hongo's desk.  
  
"I seem to remember you pulling the  
same stunt exactly a year ago, Chiba." The voice  
emanating from behind the back of the chair was  
neutral, not allowing for any inference as to  
the mood of the speaker.  
  
Wincing, Mamoru tried to smooth his  
wrinkled clothing. "I'm sorry, Hongo-san, really.  
It's just that..."  
  
The chair swiveled around, interupting  
the young man. Doctor Hongo appeared, looking  
much as she did a year past, even down to the  
scowl. "I heard about your late visit with the  
Tatsubara child." If possible, she looked even  
more displeased. "What do you think you are  
doing, Chiba? You are a doctor, who had a early  
morning meeting scheduled with your supervising  
doctor. You have applied to that doctor's  
resident program, hoping to obtain a position.  
What made you think it would be better to waste  
your time with a patient instead of sleeping to  
make sure you wouldn't oversleep today?" Her  
green eyes seemed to snap with cold fire, her  
voice chillingly devoid of emotion. But if you  
looked carefully, there was a small flicker of  
hope in her eyes, as if she was expecting  
something.  
  
Shocked, Mamoru stared at Dr. Hongo for  
a moment before he could regain his voice.  
"Hongo-san, you're wrong." At her raised eyebrow,  
Mamoru kissed his chances of a residency at  
Tokyo Hospital goodbye.  
  
"Oh, am I?" She sat back in her chair,  
her arms crossed in front of her chest. "And  
what makes you say that?" There, faintly, was  
a hint of amusement in her voice. Unfortunately,  
Mamoru was too busy mourning over his future  
and worrying over the possible loss of life or  
limb to notice it.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Hongo, you're wrong. I wasn't  
wasting my time. I was doing exactly what I  
should have done." He paused. "What Usagi would  
have done. She never neglected a patient in  
need, never ignored anyone who was lonely. As  
the patient's doctor, I owe them all of my  
effort to help them in getting better. That  
includes any and all emotional support that I  
can give them. Long ago, you said that there was  
more to being a true doctor than the desire to  
succeed. I found my reason. It's to help people,  
to help them in any way I can as a person. If I  
help them in some way, regardless of curing them  
or not, I think that I would deserve the title  
of doctor." He stood. "I'm afraid that I've  
overstepped my bounds, Hongo-san, but I had to  
say this." He bowed, respectfully. "I appreciate  
all that you have taught me. I know that you might  
not have found me capable, but I did learn much  
from my time as your intern. You taught me to  
work much harder, that academics isn't enough.  
Even though you probably will wish to end my  
chances for a career, I still respectfully  
thank you, for you have been a wonderfully  
demanding teacher. Goodbye."  
  
Turning to leave, Mamoru heaved a sigh.  
He did so want to be a doctor, but it didn't  
seem like it was going to happen.  
  
"Quitting, Chiba?"  
  
Pausing, Mamoru turned. "No, Hongo-san.  
I'm not quitting. Even though I might not be  
able to become a resident, I'll keep trying. I  
will find some other internship, rebuild my  
career, and do my best to become a true doctor."  
  
Ayanami Hongo paused, taking full stock  
of the man in front of her. A year ago, he was  
sure of himself, assured that he was competent  
to become a doctor, since he excelled in his  
studies. He cared not a whit for his patients,  
seeing them as a case, not as a person. But the  
man in front of her was different. He was more  
affable, warmer than before. He held a softness  
in him that had once been cold indifference. He  
had matured. Slowly, Dr. Hongo smiled, much to  
Mamoru's surprise. He was expecting a dressing  
down, or a sarcastic rebuff, anything except a  
smile. And not just any smile. He fought the  
urge to rub his eyes and take another look. Dr.  
Hongo was smiling a smile of genuine warmth and  
sincerity. Never had the good doctor directed  
such a smile at him, not in the entire 365 days  
that he had known her.  
  
Had he hit his head while he was running  
down the halls? Perhaps he did, and was  
unconscious right now, stuck in a delusion where  
Dr. Hongo would smile at him after he had so  
rudely stood up to her. Yes, Mamoru concluded,  
that must be the answer.  
  
Dr. Hongo stood up from her chair and  
walked toward the stunned Mamoru. "I must admit,  
when I first saw you, I thought that I'd get  
rid of you within the week. You were too cocky,  
too full of yourself."  
  
Frowning in confusion, Mamoru reassessed  
his original conclusion. Why would his delusions  
include a dressing down? Very, very odd.  
  
"You didn't know the basic rule of  
oncology: caring. A little bit of empathy can go  
a long way in the healing of a patient. Human  
emotions can do so much more than our best  
medicine, Mamoru."  
  
This had to be a nightmare or something.  
Dr. Hongo had actually called him by his first  
name. This was completely anathema to reality.  
It must be some sort of cosmic joke.  
  
"But I see now, that you've learned so much  
more since when you first started here. You see  
with new eyes, with a new understanding of the  
magic behind medicine. I must say, I'm very much  
shocked...and impressed."  
  
What was going on? Insults one minute,  
then praise the other. He really wished his  
delusions would pick one method and stick to it.  
This was very confusing.  
  
Dr. Hongo picked up an envelope. "I never  
would have thought that this would happen." She  
handed the silent Mamoru the envelope. "Go ahead  
and open it."  
  
Mamoru eyed the slim paper envelope with  
suspicion. "Is this a letter listing all my  
faults? Is this rigged with a bomb or something?"  
  
Raising another eyebrow, Dr. Hongo looked  
at the bewildering man in her office. "Uh, no...  
were you expecting something like that? I suppose  
then, when you read it, you'll be disappointed."  
  
Apprehensively, Mamoru gingerly slid his  
finger under the flap. Tearing the glued flap, he  
carefully took out the piece of paper in the  
envelope and slowly unfolded the letter inside.  
Scanning the first lines, he frowned, then re-read  
them. And re-read them again. "Wait...did you give  
me the wrong envelope by mistake?"  
  
Exasperated, Dr. Hongo whapped Mamoru with  
a rolled up patient file. "Are you dense or what!  
That, young man, is a letter stating that you have  
obtained a position as a resident in Tokyo  
Hospital. Of course, if you think it's a mistake,  
you're more than welcome to leave it on my desk  
and go."  
  
A grin slowly made its way across Mamoru's  
face. "I got in? I got...in. I GOT IN? WAI WAI!"  
The odd anime-style cry resounded out of the  
office and into the halls, causing a few passer-bys  
to pause in confusion.  
  
Dr. Hongo gave a small smile. "Yeah, you  
got in, DOCTOR Chiba. Congratulations. Now, if  
you'll excuse me, I'm sure you have some people to  
share the news with. I expect to see you early  
tomorrow for your first day." She sat back in her  
chair and motioned toward the door, a clear sign  
of dismissal.  
  
Not wanting to press his incredible luck,  
Mamoru bowed, again, as serious and as mature as  
possible while his heart was doing a jig  
internally. With an enthusiastic grin, he shut  
the door as he left with more gusto than necessary  
and practically skipped down the hall. He had to  
tell someone. But who? Motoki, who had known about  
Mamoru's dream since they first met? Mamoru's old  
anatomy professor, whom had tutored the young  
college Mamoru to help him for his exams? He  
would tell them, but there was one person he felt  
he really should tell first, before anyone else.  
  
Jumping into his car, Mamoru whistled as  
he cut through traffic, making his way steadily  
toward his destination. Pulling his car into a  
parking spot on the street, he placed some money  
in the meter and hopped out, locking his doors.  
He walked the two blocks and came to a stop in  
front of the main gates of Juuban's cemetary.  
Slipping quietly past the creaking gates, he  
slowly made his way to the Tsukino plot. He had  
visited the place often enough to know where  
exactly he was going, even in his own jostled  
state of mind. He made his way amongst the  
markers with various names upon them. Some of  
these people had died so young. Others had died  
after a long life. Strange how things work out  
in this world.  
  
As he neared the Tsukino plot, he thought  
back to those days when Usagi was so sick. After  
their trip to the Tower, she had fallen into her  
second coma. As per her wishes, they put in her  
own home, in her own bed, to spend what they all  
thought were her last days. There were no  
machines, no extraordinary measures were to be  
taken if she stopped breathing. All of them,  
from the stone-faced Haruka to the very pregnant  
Naru, sat vigilantly by Usagi's bedside. Day by  
agonizing day passed. With every dawn, all of  
them waited, to see if Usagi would live to see  
the next day.  
  
After a week, it happened. It was a  
complete and utter shock. Usagi awoke. True,  
her eyelids fluttered for only a moment, but she  
was more responsive to the outside world. She  
eventually regained full consciousness, much to  
the shock of everyone. They thought that her  
time was up, for certain. But they didn't want  
to grab onto false hope. When Usagi went in for  
a scan, they all waited, hoping for the best,  
expecting the worst. When the scan actually  
showed that the tumor had shrunk, the relief  
could be seen in every face, in everyone's body  
language. As time passed, Usagi actually  
improved and each of her subsequent tests showed  
that the tumor was shrinking more and more. She  
was in remission. Contrary to the beliefs of her  
doctors, experts, anyone in the medical community,  
she was in REMISSION. No sweeter words had ever  
been invented, in Mamoru's opinion.  
  
Creeping up behind the slight figure in  
front of him, he dangled the envelope in front  
of the kneeling figure's eyes. A startled gasp  
was his reply as the blonde spun around, her  
long hair smacking his chest as they flew by.  
  
"Mamo-chan! She told you?" An excited  
squeal came out of Usagi's once-more rosy lips.  
  
Mamoru mock-frowned. "Yeah, she told me.  
You know, I really was looking forward to  
surprising you with this, maybe have you hug me,  
kiss me in congratulations..." Interrupting his  
sentence as a flurry of blonde hair and slender  
arms as Usagi pulled him into a fierce hug.  
  
"I'm happy for you, Mamo-chan, really!  
It couldn't have happened to a better doctor! I  
only know cuz Ayanami wanted to tell me  
personally of her decision. She knows the past  
few months have been rather trying on me and  
wanted to spare me any more surprises." Usagi  
made a face.  
  
Hugging the tender bundle in his arms  
a little tighter, Mamoru frowned, as he thought  
of what Usagi was referring to. With her amazing  
recovery from the brink of death, she had been  
labeled a 'medical miracle.' The news had leaked  
to the press before the full medical  
investigation into her case and they were  
instantly at Usagi's door, hoping to interview  
the 'miracle.' Haruka and Michiru even had to  
hire the bodyguards that usually did their own  
press events and get them to protect Usagi.  
Eventually, the press hounds did back off,  
after a few press conferences. The experimental  
drug might have been the cause of her recovery  
or it might have been something else, her  
doctors warned the press. More studies were  
needed. But because of the press surrounding the  
amazing possibilities of the drug for so many  
cancer patients as well as overwhelming public  
support, the government was already pushing for  
widescale tests. With the news of a possible  
cure for cancer, the press finally left Usagi  
alone for other news, much to the relief of  
everyone involved.  
  
Shaking free from his thoughts, Mamoru  
rocked Usagi a little, saying, "If you're so  
happy, then where is my congratulations kiss?"  
He pouted, very comically according to Usagi's  
point of view.  
  
With a laugh, she placed a gentle kiss  
to Mamoru's forehead. "How's that?"  
  
Frowning, Mamoru shook his head. With  
his eyes still closed, he said, "Not good  
enough."  
  
"This then?" Usagi placed a kiss on  
his cheek.  
  
"No."  
  
With a smile, Usagi whispered, "You  
win," and placed her lips against Mamoru's own.  
It was a kiss of celebration for two lives  
saved from their own darkness, a life saved  
from death, and a life saved from loneliness.  
  
It was a kiss celebrating a medical  
miracle.  
  
Translations:  
  
None  
  
Author Notes:  
  
There it is, the ending, the real  
ending to Medical Miracle. It's been a long  
journey, much longer than I thought it would  
be. But I do hope that some of you out there  
enjoyed reading this tale, as much as I enjoyed  
writing it. I'm not happy with everything in  
the story, knowing that it still requires a  
lot of work, work I can't put in right at the  
moment. For now, I'll let this story rest.  
I do want to thank anyone and everyone that  
stuck with me, through the long waits and  
various mistakes, from the prologue until now.  
I do hope your lives are filled with happiness.  
Until the next story...  
  
~The moonlight carries the message of love.~  
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~  
  
Note:  
  
Ok, just a last note kind of thing. I'm sorry  
I haven't replied to all you wonderful people  
who have reviewed MM on FF.net. If you'd  
really like to contact me, email me, because  
that's probably the only way to catch my  
attention, me being the dunce I am. ^^; Also,  
a few last things to clear up. No, I'm not  
Japanese, and I'm pretty sure the stuff that  
I've been using has been wrong. As for the  
form of time, 24 vs. AM/PM, I was actually  
basing it off of the Asian country I have  
visited and generalizing, but when I did go  
to Japan this last summer, I realized my  
mistake ^^; Um, I'll definately be fixing  
some of these glaring mistakes when I get a  
chance to edit MM. Until then, please, use  
the info I present as anything you might see  
online cautiously. You can't always believe  
that what is online is actually true ^^; I'm  
pretty sure now that the time thing is wrong,  
as is, probably, most of my Japanese (at the  
very least, it's not used properly, as Bejiin  
will probably attest to).  
  
Anyways, thanks to all of you who've read and  
enjoyed MM. For those of you who has laughed,  
cried, and sighed over Usagi and Mamoru, I do  
hope that my story has given you some  
entertainment. Thank you, again, to anyone  
and everyone who has emailed, reviewed, or  
im'd me about MM. My deepest gratitude.  
  
~The Rose Society 


End file.
